Gratitude... the road to happiness.

Want to be happy? Practice gratitude!

November kicks off the holiday season with high expectations for a cozy and festive time of year. However, for many this time of year is tinged with sadness, anxiety, or depression. It is not rare for some to feel lost, overwhelmed or down at this time of year. Research suggests that one aspect of the Thanksgiving season can actually lift the spirits, and it's built right into the holiday — expressing gratitude.

The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. The word “gratitude” encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.

Research has confirmed that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

People feel and express gratitude in multiple ways. They can apply it to the past (retrieving positive memories and being thankful for elements of childhood or past blessings), the present (not taking good fortune for granted as it comes), and the future (maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude). Regardless of the inherent or current level of someone's gratitude, it's a quality that individuals can successfully cultivate further.

Ways to cultivate gratitude

Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can't feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel difficult to think about all these things at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.

Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.

Write a thank-you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person's impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.

Thank someone mentally. No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.

Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you've received each day.

Count your blessings. Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.

Mindfulness. Mindfulness involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Mindfulness is used as a therapeutic technique. We can begin to learn to use mindfulness by focusing on our breathing and practicing autoregulation.

Pray. People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude. Prayer is for more than just asking for things or saying ‘thank you’ to God. Prayer is also an opportunity to lift up our concerns, hopes, and needs to someone who genuinely cares about us.

Prayer is a powerful opportunity to talk to God. So how can we listen for what God wants to speak into our lives? Some people have found that they can hear God best when they intentionally slow down, escape the noise of everyday life, and focus on what God might want to tell us.

We invite you to join us in prayer every week on Facebook Live as our students participate in weekly mass. We lift our thoughts to God in prayer and invite our community to participate with us virtually.

At first, we might need help in learning how to practice gratitude in our daily lives, so I have attached 30 days of gratitude ideas to reflect on. As we practice gratitude every day, we begin to create a positive habit that brings happiness to our lives and those around us.