Gratitude Therapy

Gratitude Therapy. I heard about it last night at the Christian Endeavor service. We have a nurse in our congregation, and he was chosen to give a talk, and he talked about a new kind of therapy called Gratitude Therapy. It is scientifically proven that for suicidal and depressed patients, this therapy has helped. And it is very simple to do. Have a journal, or a notebook, and write ten things you are thankful for, and why. Or, if you aren’t inclined to write in a notebook, use a big jar, and, every time you think of something you are thankful for, write it down on a piece of paper, (remember to write why you are thankful for that) fold it up, and drop it into the jar. every three months, or six, or every year, empty the jar, and read your thankfuls. There was a very suicidal young man whose therapist was very reluctant to let him go home, but she told him that he could go home for thirty days, if, for every day, he wrote down ten things he was thankful for, and why. After the thirty days, the young man came back and said,”You know, that took me all day to do.” But he did it. And it pulled him out of his suicidal thoughts. And another example. At a care meeting this man was at (the man that was giving the talk) there was a man there that said he was going through some very low times, and he knew he needed to thank God, or else he wouldn’t make it. He fell down on the floor, buried his head in the couch, and thanked God for his dog. That was the first and only thing he could think of. After that, he began thanking God for other things, and after just five minutes of thanking, he noticed that the burden had lifted, the sun was shining and the clouds had cleared away. Thankfulness has a massive impact on your life. Be thankful.

Here are ten things I am thankful for, and why.

1. My mom. She is my mom, my best friend, my confidant. We can be crazy together. We can be silent. I love my mom.

2. Smiles. The universal sign of happiness. A smile connects you to another person, and words are not needed.

3. Socks. A tiny blanket for my feet.

4. Dirty dishes, three times a day. We have plenty of food. We don’t have to go to bed with hungry stomachs.

5. Heaven. I know that I will see my cousin, my uncle, my friends up there. There is hope.

6. Books. How else could I travel, how else could I have a peek into other’s lives, even if it is fiction.

7. Glasses. I can still see clearly, even if it means having a contraption sitting on my nose. I have much more than the people back in the 1700-1800s.

8. Interior heating. I don’t have to sit around, huddled in 10 blankets.

9. I am still glad I have a nose. Even if I’m not fond of the way it looks, at least I still have one. (You all, that have nice straight noses, i envy you.) And to all that still haven’t figured it out, I admit that I do have somewhat of a nose fetish.

10. Numbers. Odd numbers to be exact. I hate the number 9 though. Snobbish number. My favorite numbers are 1, 7, and 13. Numbers make my life seem more orderly. Simpler.

Good day to you.