PsyBlog has gone gratitude-mad this week, what with reporting experimental evidence that practicing gratitude can increase happiness by 25% and reviewing 'thanks' , the book by the study's author. To round it off here are Dr Robert Emmons' top 10 tips for actually becoming more grateful, and consequently more happy.From http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/09/10-grateful-steps-to-happiness.php
1. Keep a gratitude journal
Sit down, daily, and write about the things for which you are grateful. Start with whatever springs to mind and work from there. Try not to write the same thing every day but explore your gratefulness.2. Remember the bad
The way things are now may seem better in the light of bad memories. Don't forget the bad things that have happened, the contrast may encourage gratefulness.3. Ask yourself three questions
Choose someone you know, then first consider what you have received from them, second what you have given to them and thirdly what trouble you have caused them. This may lead to discovering you owe others more than you thought.4. Pray
Whether you are Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim or atheist, a ritualised form of giving thanks may help increase gratitude.5. Use your senses
80% of people say they are thankful for their health. If so, then get back in touch with the simple human fact of being able to sense what is out there: use your vision, touch, taste and smell to experience the world, and be thankful you can.6. Use visual reminders
Two big obstacles to being grateful are simply forgetting and failing to be mindful. So leave a note of some kind reminding you to be grateful. It could be a post-it, an object in your home or another person to nudge you occasionally.7. Swear an oath to be more grateful
Promise on whatever you hold holy that you'll be more grateful. Sounds crazy? There's a study to show it works.8. Think grateful thoughts
Called 'automatic thoughts' or self-talk in cognitive therapy, these are the habitual things we say to ourselves all day long. What if you said to yourself: "My life is a gift" all day long? Too cheesy? OK, what about: "Every day is a surprise".9. Acting grateful is being grateful
Say thank you, become more grateful. It's that simple.10. Be grateful to your enemies?
It'll take a big creative leap to be thankful to the people who you most despise. But big creative leaps are just the kind of things likely to set off a change in yourself. Give it a try.
10 Grateful Steps to Happiness
Published by TPOS on 11 May, 2012 - 20:22
Comments
hard
Sarcasm?
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
no?
Oh.
Why is it hard? Looks pretty simple, I think I'm gna try it.
Edit: just re-read it. I don't get number 5
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
Niceeeee.. (though the last i'd probably do is use visual reminders)
Thank you Revvy for being in existance!
lol you lost me at point one...although it would probably work it would just become an incredibly long process having to do it day after day when you can just be thankful in your duas....i find when reciting alhamdulillah 33 times after namaz, thinking about something different each time you say 'alhamdulillah' helps in appreciating everything Allah swt has blessed you and also remembering there are people out there who are a lot worse off.
Learning to become content with what you have and being thankful for waking up with good health each and everyday allows everything else to fall into place and who has granted you this health and who has willed for you to wake up each and every morning? Allah swt.
building your relationship with Allah swt and working towards that sweetness of imaan, one can attain that happiness they seek inshAllah, because if Allah is pleased with you and indeed he is the most merciful then hopefully whatever pain a person is going through should inshAllah become less.
and whatever tests a person does go through perhaps should be looked at from a different perspective not that your life is going down the drain, rather Allah won't test you beyond your limits and indeed Allah will test those who have the faith to overcome their nafs inshAllah.
the above is easier said than done....because even to focus in prayer five times a day is hard enough...but i personally think we should focus on strengthening our link with our creator.
Praying is part of the steps! And I didn't think of it being separate to thanking Allah/being a non-religious thing. I think it should be done BECAUSE we as Muslims should be grateful. And although it is 'long' it is certainly a good, needed thing. We should take our time time reflect and thank Allah swt and this would help do that.
We say we want to get closer to Allah and be more spiritual etc but those are very vague statements. Obviously praying, making dua, reading Quran etc helps but it will only help to some extent at first. Then your enthusiasm may die or something, especially if you don't understand exactly what you're reading (then it would make sense to try learning Arabic, but that's a long process).
So that's why it's the simple things that remind you of Allah which can make a difference, give you a boost in imaan. Don't think many of you use twitter but there was a trend yesterday which was #IThankAllahFor - basically people were writing 140 character messages, saying what they thank Allah for. And it makes you sit and think about all the things you have and how fortunate you really are and *why* you should be grateful. Being grateful to Allah is a pretty important thing, and thinking about the positives also makes you feel better!
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
as we're talking about boosting imaan...listening to a bit of nouman ali khan everyday certainly helps as he puts accross some really possitive messages that makes a person look at himself and reflect
and also i find (personally) listening to lectures whilst on the way to uni or driving anywhere, now days im listening to stories of prophets series by anwar awlaki...these kinds of small things help me on a level to sit back and think about 'me' as regards to my characters, my bad points, things i can work on and all in all they teach me lessons i can apply to my everyday life.
i'v always known the qur'an is a book of guidance yet hearing it again and again astagfirullah it just became a phrase to me. never did i think hy its actually pretty easy to pick up the quran and try and use it to work out your own everyday problems regarding yourself and society around you....sorry i think i went slightly off topic there lol
I don't get what you mean. But I see that as just let them be,and dont let them get to you and if there are things they've said which were harsh but true then use them to better yourself instead of being bitter about it. Yeah I just gave it my own meaning, I think.
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi
Hmm suppose so
"How many people find fault in what they're reading and the fault is in their own understanding" Al Mutanabbi