< Previous9SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE“Despite all progress in science , there’s still no way to show gratitude to a person who is no more. Show your love when people are around.” - Vineet Raj Kapoor10SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINETHE SCIENCE OF GRATITUDE I finish nearly every meditation session I lead in workplaces all over Melbourne in more or less the same way, asking students to bring to mind someone or something for which they are incredibly grateful. It doesn’t matter who or what they’re thankful for—it could be a loved one, or perhaps an opportunity. “Notice how feeling grateful makes you feel in your body,” I say. “Let yourself bathe in gratitude. Now, allow yourself to feel a sense of gratitude for this opportunity; for hopefully having experienced a little stillness; and, for how lucky we are to live where we do, in relative safety and security.”Afterwards, students always express some surprise at how lovely it is to check in with the wonderful things in our lives and how lucky we are to have them. by Susie HopkinsSusie Hopkins is an expert in stress management and has founded Lilo Wellness, a company that enables people and organisations to give their best by managing stress. They run one-on-one sessions, workshops and courses where they inform and inspire people to reduce their stress levels by translating research findings into practical strategies. Susie has almost thirty years’ experience working in health and wellbeing - as a registered nurse, with a Masters of Public Health, many years as a registered nurse health coach in the corporate sector, and as a mindfulness and yoga teacher. 11SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEBut apart from the feel-good factor, what does the research tell us about the positive effect of gratitude?It’s all good Regularly focusing on and appreciating the goodness in one’s life appears to be incredibly beneficial for our physical and psychological well-being. I only say ‘appears to be’ because we must treat all relatively new research findings somewhat carefully.But, after nearly fifteen years of research, the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, Robert Emmons, says that not only are our physical and psychological selves positively impacted by gratitude practices, our social lives are too. His research shows that gratitude affects three crucial areas:1. Physical• Stronger immune system• Less bothered by aches and pains• Lower blood pressure• More inclined to exercise and take better care of health• Improved sleep and more refreshed upon waking.2. Psychological• More positive emotions• More alert and awake• More joy and pleasure• More optimistic and happy.3. Social• More helpful, generous and compassionate• More forgiving• More outgoing• Less lonely and isolated.If we had a pill that could do all these things, was free and had no side effects, we’d all be on it!How to become more gratefulEmmons notes that to really experience the positive effects of gratitude, we may need to put a lot of conscious effort into becoming more grateful. While it’s easy to be influenced by the daily bad-news-bubble and daily life stresses, there are some very easy steps towards gratitude we can all take. 12SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINECOUNT your BLESSINGSregurlarly...keep a family gratitude jar...Emmons recommends:1) Keeping a gratitude journal. List just five things every week that you’re grateful for. This practice helps you consciously, intentionally focus your attention on developing more grateful thinking, and on eliminating ungrateful thoughts.2) Counting your blessings regularly. Perhaps try this first thing in the morning or just before bed in the evening—you don’t have to write these down, just thinking more gratefully is enough.Also, a wonderful idea to help kids develop more gratitude is to keep a family gratitude jar. Each night at dinner, write one thing you’re grateful for on a piece of paper and pop it in the jar. Then, at the end of the week, you can read them out together, and marvel at all the things you’ve had to be grateful for over just seven days!If you already have a meditation practice, why not include a little gratitude practice? I have found, and many reports, that mindfulness itself helps develop and increase how grateful we are.Experiencing gratitude changes everythingFor me, I have found since incorporating gratitude into my daily mindfulness meditation and/or yoga practice, I seem to notice the good in my life more easily. Whenever I am having a really hard time, which unfortunately is quite often—I am the sole parent of a little boy with some health problems—my default is to thank my lucky stars that I live where I do.When he’s feeling really crook and we’re both a little beside ourselves, I think about how grateful I am that we’re not living in a refugee camp or war-torn country.Finding the silver lining when things are crappy has become a habit. And, when I realise at the moment that gratitude has become my default, I’m grateful for that in itself—yet another dose of appreciation!In a scientific study called Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration, the authors conclude there is a lot of evidence to show that, “gratitude is related to a wide variety of forms of well-being”. The evidence is interesting when compared to findings on wealth and well-being that show huge increases in income are needed to yield only modest gains in well-being (Boyce & Wood). It seems we’d probably all be “better off having an appreciation for what we already have instead of trying to accrue ever more stuff!” (Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade, 2005). After all, a little gratitude goes a long way.Boyce, C., and Wood, A. M. (in press). Money or mental health: The cost of alleviating psychological distress with monetary compensation versus psychological therapy. Health Economics, Policy and Law. doi:10.1017/S1744133109990326Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9, 111−131.Wood, A., Froh, J., & Geraghty, A. (2010). Gratitude and well-being A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 890-905.14SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE15SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEFROM CHANGING HABITS...Change how you feel with the new 6 Weeks No Wheat Program... a simple, easy to follow, highly effective online program. Each week we will educate you around food, in particular, wheat and gluten and how to effectively eliminate it out of your diet and to make lifestyle changes so you remain healthy.Award winning coconut oil beauty products: organic, FREE of parabens, petrolatum, artificial colors or phthalatesStudy nutrition today - Internationally accredited nutrition course. Science-based health care built on a vitalistic philosophy of food and nutrition. Includes a 6-week Applied Business course for graduates, to help turn your passion for health into a business.16SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” - EpicurusDarkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. - Martin Luther King Jnr18SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEGRATEFUL?LIKE HELL!! by Sue LesterFeeling grateful and keeping a Gratitude Journal are commonly espoused as essential ingredients of personal development and a healthy mindset. But how do you express gratitude for someone who has abused you or for a disease that snatched away a loved one? How can you, and why should you even bother?The “Why should you even bother?” is easier to answer, so let’s start there. Specialising in clearing ‘head trash’, and known as the Catalyst of Change, Sue Lester is an international mindset healer & coach. Sue works with individuals, teams & audiences, optimising their unconscious blueprints ™ so they feel successful on the inside too, reigniting their zest for life’s adventures and achieving that elusive life balance. Sue Lester is the author of “The Face Within: How To Change Your Unconscious Blueprint” and “Answering The Call To Adventure”. She uses her adventurous tales to inspire others to reach for their potential. Find out more at www.SueLester.com.Next >