Attitude of Gratitude - SALMON Health and Retirement · gratitude. Have you practiced this week? Focusing on gratitude takes a little efort, but it goes a long way to improve relationships

Attitude of GratitudeSelf-Guided Learning

powered by

A part of the ActivLife Relationships Program

Page 1 of 6Relationships 102: Attitude of Gratitude Self-Guided Learning

09/012/18 © ActivLife Solutions, LLC

Being Thankful for Others Can Enhance Relationships

Having good quality relationships can

have a strong positive impact on one’s

health. Older adults with a rich social

life are likely to live longer than those

who have fewer connections. Healthy

personal relationships not only provide

companionship, they also increase

one’s sense of purpose, self-worth,

and happiness. Good relationships also

reduce stress and help one cope with

negative experiences, such as serious

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

illness or loss of a loved one.

Expressing gratitude is a large contributor

to maintaining close emotional bonds with

others. Gratitude is an acknowledgement

that we have received something valuable

from someone and we feel thankful

towards them and for them. Recognizing

gifts such as a compliment, a listening

ear, a helping hand, or words of support

are examples of valuable gifts from

others.

It can turn a meal into a

feast, a house into a

home, and a stranger into a

friend.



Let’s get started!Relationships can undergo dynamic changes later in life and with major life changes, such as moving to a new residence, or changes to one’s abilities including hearing, seeing, and moving around within a home or community. Therefore, extra effort may be needed to develop new relationships and to maintain or enhance existing relationships.

Demonstrating gratitude helps support the reciprocal nature of relationships. For example, after receiving a gift or assistance, the recipient feels grateful, which motivates them to reciprocate, or give kindness back to that person. This can be in the form of words or actions. When gratitude is expressed toward the giver, it is pleasurable for both people, reinforcing additional acts of kindness.

In addition, negative emotions including envy, bitterness, anger, and greed are incompatible with gratitude and are inhibited by the feeling of gratitude. Practicing gratitude therefore reduces overall negative emotions, replacing them with positive ones.

While one can feel gratitude for important

things like health and home, the focus of this exercise is on relationships. Increasing feelings of gratitude for others and their presence and impact on life is the goal of the following activity.

Three Blessings Exercise

The exercise involves keeping a daily journal in which you identify positive interactions in your life. All it requires is taking ten minutes at the end of each day to write down three things that went well with others that day and why they went well.

Here’s an example:

My daughter called and asked how I was. She is a very thoughtful person.

My neighbor smiled and greeted me. She is responding to my friendly greetings.

I received an email from a good friend, sharing good news. We both understand the importance of the good news.

Notice, the three things do not need to be extraordinary. In fact, being grateful for the small things can even be more impactful. Concentrating and recognizing on what you feel gratitude for is the key.

3

2

1



Now it’s your turn!While it may feel a bit awkward at first, it gets easier as you do it regularly. Use the pages here to complete your first two weeks. If you miss a day, that is ok, just pick it up again the following day. It may turn into a life-long habit!

There is interesting research on how impactful this practice is. When people completed the Three Blessings exercise every day for two weeks, they significantly outperformed others in enhancing their well-being compared to those who did general journaling (writing down daily experiences).

In addition, those who continued to practice gratitude after the two-week journaling exercise was completed continued to improve their wellness! Researchers also found that the gratitude exercise improved the recall of positive memories.

Formally practicing gratitude helps you become more mindful of the positive interactions in your daily life and helps nurture and strengthen your relationships with others. Therefore, try this exercise daily for at least two weeks.

Day 1: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 2: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________



Day 3: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 4: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 5: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 6: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 7: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 8: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________



Day 9: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 10: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 11: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 12: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 13: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 14: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________



The ActivLife Relationships Program provides multiple ways to improve relationships. Check with your ActivLife Coordinator to find out when classes and groups are offered or continue with more self-guided learning like: • Relationships 101: FriendshipWe also recommend checking out the Interpersonal Skills Program.

Keep investing in your social wellness!

Keep up the good work!The Three Blessings is just one idea for how to improve an overall attitude of gratitude. Another approach is to write a letter to someone who made a significant positive impact on your life. Explain what they did and how it impacted you. Then either mail the letter to them or read it to them. A bonus of reading it to them is being able to watch their reaction to being recognized as such a positive part of your life.

Another suggestion is to write someone a short thank-you note, expressing your gratitude for something they did, or something you appreciate about them. This extends the Three Blessings exercise by including the person you are grateful for.

Ultimately, focusing on being grateful for

what is positive in your life rather than the problems and negative things in your life will lead to better overall well-being.

Congratulations! And thank you for investing in your Social Wellness!

As we express

our gratitude, we must never forget

that the highest

appreciation is not to

utter the words but to

LIVE by them.

- John F. Kennedy

Revised 11/16/2018

Page 1

© ActivLife Solutions, LLC

My progress in showing gratitiude

TECHNIQUE PRACTICED TODAY SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT NOTES

Completed the Three Blessing exercise.

Wrote a letter to let someone know they have significantly influenced your life.Shared with someone in person or over the phone how they significantly influenced your life.

Sent a thank-you card to someone.

Other ways you focused on gratitude.

Have you practiced this week?Focusing on gratitude takes a little effort, but it goes a long way to improve relationships. Check the boxes below to indicate days you practiced specific actions to strengthen your attitude of gratitude.

Name: For the week of:

Relationships 102: Atitude of Gratitude

Documents

Attitude of Gratitude - SALMON Health and Retirement · gratitude. Have you practiced this week? Focusing on gratitude takes a little efort, but it goes a long way to improve relationships