Gardening takes work
Experience shows me that gardening requires planning, tools and equipment, seeds, plants, good soil, fertilizer, weeding, digging, diligently watching for pests and disease, and expert advice from others. As we continue to use the metaphor of comparing our mind as a “garden” I wanted to “dig deeper” scientifically into the health benefits of the thoughts we think. 
Occasionally I am asked to speak for women’s groups on a variety of subjects. During one particular Fall season, I was asked to speak on thanksgiving and gratitude. I started my research by first getting a definition of the two words. (As I research experts in the field, they too started with a definition).
Webster’s dictionary: thankful ~ “feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.”
gratitude: ~ “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
Thankfulness and gratitude are linked to overall happiness and are cultivated in our minds. We as humans have the capacity and ability to choose to be thankful and grateful in spite of our circumstances and surroundings. Just like being intentional in planting, weeding, and fertilizing an outside garden, the garden of our minds requires the same kind of diligence and intentionality.
Why This Is Important
The incredible amount of research being dedicated to the health benefits of thankfulness and gratitude is astounding. You can search for yourself by looking up “The Science of Gratitude” or “The Science of Happiness”. Again, I am not a doctor, but this research is very extensive and convicting. Benefits include:
- Stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure;
- Higher levels of positive emotions;
- More joy, optimism, and happiness;
- Acting with more generosity and compassion;
- Feeling less lonely and isolated.
Resources:
Take your gratitude quiz from Berkeley University here
Dr. Robert Emmons, is one of the foremost authorities on the topic in America… gratitude power
Interesting video titled “The Science of Practicing Saying Thanks” …over an hour long though, so here for reference when you need something good to watch.
Incredible findings in a report by Mikaela Conley from ABC News titled “Thankfulness Linked to Positive Changes in Brain and Body”
What the Experts Say:
Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, head of the division of biologic psychology at Duke University Medical Center:
“If [thankfulness] were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with a health maintenance indication for every major organ system,”
“While the act of being thankful is not a substitute for a proper medical diagnosis and treatment, it’s certainly a strategy that can be used to enhance wellness.”
“Studies have shown measurable effects on multiple body and brain systems. Those include mood neurotransmitters (serotonin, norepinephrine), reproductive hormones (testosterone), social bonding hormones (oxytocin), cognitive and pleasure related neurotransmitters (dopamine), inflammatory and immune systems (cytokines), stress hormones (cortisol), cardiac and EEG rhythms, blood pressure, and blood sugar.”
Renee Jain, certified coach of positive psychology “When my coaching clients ask me why gratitude exercises work, I let them know that humans have something called a negativity bias where ‘bad stuff’ in our life outweighs the good by a measure of about 3:1,”
Daily Cultivation
One of my favorite books is “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. I highly recommend this as the book of the month.
Starting Your own Garden Gratitude Journal
There’s no wrong way to keep a gratitude journal, but here are some general instructions as you get started.
15 minutes per day, at least once per week for at least two weeks. (Studies suggest three times per week might actually have a greater impact on our happiness than journaling every day.)
Write down up to five things for which you feel grateful. The physical record is important—don’t just do this exercise in your head. The things you list can be relatively small in importance (“The tasty sandwich I had for lunch today.”) or relatively large (“My sister gave birth to a healthy baby boy.”). The goal of the exercise is to remember a good event, experience, person, or thing in your life—then enjoy the good emotions that come with it.
As you write, here are nine important tips:
- Be as specific as possible—specificity is key to fostering gratitude. “I’m grateful that my co-workers brought me soup when I was sick on Tuesday” will be more effective than “I’m grateful for my co-workers.”
- Go for depth over breadth. Elaborating in detail about a particular person or thing for which you’re grateful carries more benefits than a superficial list of many things.
- Get personal. Focusing on people to whom you are grateful has more of an impact than focusing on things for which you are grateful.
- Try subtraction, not just addition. Consider what your life would be like without certain people or things, rather than just tallying up all the good stuff. Be grateful for the negative outcomes you avoided, escaped, prevented, or turned into something positive—try not to take that good fortune for granted.
- See good things as “gifts.” Thinking of the good things in your life as gifts guards against taking them for granted. Try to relish and savor the gifts you’ve received.
- Savor surprises. Try to record events that were unexpected or surprising, as these tend to elicit stronger levels of gratitude.
- Revise if you repeat. Writing about some of the same people and things is OK, but zero in on a different aspect in detail.
- Write regularly. Whether you write every other day or once a week, commit to a regular time to journal, then honor that commitment. But…
- Don’t overdo it. Evidence suggests writing occasionally (1-3 times per week) is more beneficial than daily journaling. That might be because we adapt to positive events and can soon become numb to them—that’s why it helps to savor surprises.
See more here: How to keep a gratitude journal
It is in your best interest for overall health to focus on The Garden of Your Mind with much care and focus. Scripture fully supports what scientific research is saying. One of my favorite verses is 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Be blessed and be thankful!
