“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust.

We’ve all lived through a challenging time and new reality due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic that has affected the world over the past few months. As well as the dangers to our physical health, much concern has been expressed about the effect of the crisis on people’s mental health.

The social distancing and lockdown measures introduced have meant we’ve been unable to go to cinemas, bars and restaurants, have had less events to attend and fewer shops to visit. This has given us an opportunity to reflect and think about what we really value and our key priorities.

When we have many distractions and demands on our time, we can forget and take for granted things to be grateful for. It has been said many times “You only miss something when it’s gone.” The past few months have given us a chance to get really clear on what we really appreciate and are grateful for in life.

It’s easy for us to fall into the trap of focusing our mind on what we lack, what’s not working and what’s wrong with life. Falling into this habit doesn’t help our energy levels and mood. Neither does it help us to maintain a positive outlook.

All too easily we can take for granted that at the turn of a tap we have fresh running water to drink and wash in. Similarly, at the flick of a switch we have electricity to power the kettle to make a hot drink when we wake up. We can even not fully appreciate that we have the gift of life.

I’ve found that being more deliberate about practising gratitude and acknowledging all that there is to be grateful for in life helps my energy levels. It keeps me happy, positive and better equipped to deal with challenges and hassles when they appear.

When I first started deliberately practising this approach, I wrote a list of 50 things to be grateful for which I added to over the course of a month. I still refer to this list from time to time when things don’t go as planned, if I’m facing an obstacle or if my energy level drops. It always lifts my spirits and mood and helps to put things into balance and perspective.

After reading the list, I remind myself that whatever issue I am facing “This too will pass.” It’s a bit like pressing a reset button on a computer.

Another practice that I have found helpful is to take the time to acknowledge positive events when they happen. I make a note of such events on post it notes which I put in a jar. I note down acts of kindness, positive feedback, receipt of income, gifts, unexpected windfalls, great customer service etc. It also includes great experiences such as days out, time by the sea, nice meals, going to a concert, sporting events etc.

At the end of each year, I take out the notes and read them all. I find this to be an excellent way to acknowledge and appreciate all the things that I’ve been fortunate to experience during that year. Also, before I go to sleep each night, I take the time to mentally acknowledge at least 3 things from the day that I can be grateful for.

Robert A. Emmons & Michael McCullough are two of the leading scholars on the topic of gratitude and they have researched and written about its power to boost happiness. In one of their studies, they carried out research with 3 experimental groups over a ten-week period.

  1. The first group was asked to write down five things they were grateful for that had happened in the last week for each of the 10 weeks of the study. This was called the gratitude condition.
  2. The second group was asked to write down five daily hassles from the previous week. This was the hassles condition.
  1. The third group simply listed five events that had occurred in the last week, but not told to focus on positive or negative aspects. This was the events or control condition.

Before the experiment began participants had kept daily journals to chronicle their moods, physical health and general attitudes. These were then used to provide a comparison for after the experimental intervention.

People who were in the gratitude condition felt fully 25% happier – they were more optimistic about the future, they felt better about their lives and they even did almost 1.5 hours more exercise a week than those in the hassles or events condition.

Martin Seligman is a leading expert on positive psychology and a very successful author. He has looked extensively at the effect and benefits of practising gratitude in his work. He has found that writing down what you are grateful for has the ability to shape your mood positively in lasting ways.

This week why not take some time to reflect and then start writing a list of things that you are grateful for. You could aim to create a list of at least 50 things within a month.

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