Tuesday’s Tip – Start a gratitude tradition this Thanksgiving

I love Christmas. I love Christmas songs, TV specials (especially the one with Heat Miser!), and the spiritual aspect of it, as well. What I don’t like about this holiday is what we have made out of it. I think I saw a Christmas tree in a warehouse club store in the first week of September. Besides the over-commercialization of the holiday, it made me realize that we seemed to have forgotten about Thanksgiving.

This Thursday, we have a chance to express our gratitude – and, we get to do with loved ones. So, if you’re reading this blog, you also have a chance to teach people about the science behind gratitude and its effect on happiness. Here are a couple of ideas to consider.

• Keep a gratitude journal: It is widely accepted that writing down Three Good Things and their causes every day leads to higher levels of happiness and less symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. But, what if you kept a family journal? Try going around the table this Thanksgiving and ask each person to tell what he/she is grateful for and jot it down in a journal. Keep the journal available for everyone and bring it out every Thanksgiving. You may also want to start this tradition every day at the dinner table…
• Teach the gift of gratitude: Pick a family member or friend that will be joining you for Thanksgiving and tell him or her about the things for which you are grateful. Then, tell him or her about the Three Good Things exercise. Teaching is a powerful tool and a wonderful gift.
• Read a gratitude letter: …to your entire family! If you have ever done this exercise where you read a letter to someone that you have not properly thanked, you know the power of gratitude in relationships. Now, try reading the letter to everyone who will be attending dinner. Tell them how you are thankful for something they did for you or something that you witnessed.
• Recall the bad: Everyone experiences adversity – some of us more than others. Dr. Robert Emmons (author of  Thanks! How the new science of gratitude can make you happier) writes that it is helpful to remember the ‘bad times.’ The first benefit is that this helps us recognize the ‘good’ in our current lives. The second benefit is that we can begin to practice counterfactual thinking – “mental comparisons we make between the way things are and how things might have been.” Counterfactual thinking can help us recognize just how much worse life could have been. Make it part of the conversation.

So, don’t be afraid to put off your Christmas shopping or watching the “The Year without a Santa Claus” for just a couple more days. Make gratitude a habit and don’t be afraid to share it with your loved ones.

Dr. Parks-Sheiener answers: Why are happy people healthier?

Dr. Acacia Parks-Sheiner is an instructor in positive psychology, a researcher and a member of the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. Dr. Parks has taught a variety of classes on how to use positive psychology interventions, and she often gets questions from students and clients about what will work best for them.

The happiness-health relationship isn’t magic – although some parts of it may be biological, a big part of why happy people are healthier stems from behaviors that come more easily to happy people. A study by Bob Emmons and colleagues found that people who experience gratitude on a regular basis are more likely to spontaneously exercise, and they also get better sleep. These short-term health behaviors lead to long-term benefits like longer life span. So if getting happier doesn’t seem worth the effort by itself, think abut the health benefits!

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happier.com is a personal trainer for your happiness. With more than a dozen tools and tests to help you measure, track and improve your happiness, you can trust the happier.com experts to help you reach your goals. Exclusive videos and a popular blog mean there’s something new to learn every day. Download the free iPhone application or find what you’re looking for with the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. happier.com is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter and has meetup groups in Washington, Philadelphia, and Portland, with more planned. Click here for a social media press release from our launch.

Now Available: Positive Psychology Workbooks For Coaches and Enthusiasts

By invited author Robert Biswas-Diener

A quick look at the shelves in any major bookstore will convince you that positive psychologists have no trouble getting the word out about their exciting new science. Each year literally dozens of titles are published on happiness, meaning and living a better life. Because it is rooted in empirical study Positive Psychology has given the self-help market a much needed scientific makeover. One conspicuous hole in all this new information, however, is a more engaging way of presenting material. Reading books- even best sellers—is inherently a passive activity.

With this in mind a group of top names in Positive Psychology created a series of workbooks designed to allow readers to engage more fully with the material. These workbooks, including titles such as Invitation to Positive Psychology, Positive Motivation and Positively Happy, are written by recognized authorities on the topic. Each workbook, weighing in at more than 100 pages long, is full of reflective exercises and suggested activities that allow readers to go “beyond the books” and actually use this dynamic material in their own lives. Readers gain not only background information on the science but also practical tips, opportunities to step back and take stock of their goals and experiments they can try in an effort to craft a better life.

Learn more about these workbooks.

happier.com is a personal trainer for your happiness. With more than a dozen tools and tests to help you measure, track and improve your happiness, you can trust the happier.com experts to help you reach your goals. Exclusive videos and a popular blog mean there’s something new to learn every day. Download the free iPhone application or find what you’re looking for with the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. happier.com is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter and has meetup groups in Washington, Philadelphia, and Portland, with more planned. Click here for a social media press release from our launch.

Five Questions To Ask Yourself and Boost Your Mood: happier.com featured in Essence Magazine

1. What gave me joy today?
2. Do I really need to take offense?
3. Is there someone I should forgive?
4. What are my strong points?
5. How can I sustain happiness?

These five questions are explored in the September issue of Essence magazine, with guidance provided by happier.com.

Members of the media interested in using happier.com experts or contents in their articles can contact us directly.

happier.com is a personal trainer for your happiness. With more than a dozen tools and tests to help you measure, track and improve your happiness, you can trust the happier.com experts to help you reach your goals. Exclusive videos and a popular blog mean there’s something new to learn every day. Download the free iPhone application or find what you’re looking for with the Positive Psychology Practitioner Directory. happier.com is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter and has meetup groups in Washington, Philadelphia, and Portland, with more planned. Click here for a social media press release from our launch.