Treasures of the Moment: Mindfulness and Gratitude During the Holidays - Dr Linda Miles

by Dr. Linda Miles As you approach the holidays, are you able to pause often and give thanks for small wonders all around you?

Or, are you so preoccupied by the pressure and stress of the holidays that you feel more like a human doing than a human being?

Do you dread being with certain dysfunctional family members over the holidays, and do you allow those feelings to overshadow your plans for celebration? If stress, anxiety, and worry interfere with your feelings of gratitude, the holidays offer many opportunities to practice gratitude for the gifts of the present moment.

Thornton Wilder wrote, "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."

Mindfulness practice can help us to be aware of our "treasures," and prepare for the holidays while maintaining a conscious intention to practice gratitude and giving.

Mindfulness Rewrites

Instead of falling into the routine of seeing the holidays as a time of stress, seize this time of year to make positive changes in your life that will only bring you more joy throughout the season and into the new year. Consciously decide to rewrite your thoughts and train your brain so that you can enjoy and celebrate with gratitude, every day.

Robert Emmons is a an expert scientist who studies gratitude. His research is one example of a myriad of evidence showing the benefits of being fully conscious of our treasures by practicing gratitude. His work has shown that a practice of gratitude provides the following benefits:

Increased life satisfactionIncreased happiness and joyStrengthened immune systemImproved the quality of sleepIncreased resilience in general

Gratitude is good for the whole family as well. Studies have shown that when children, preteens, and teens practice gratitude they have more positive emotions and feel more connected to others.

Practice

During the holidays, many people in my private practice experience a sense of dread about family gatherings. One young wife named Hillary described how the constant bickering of her in-laws overshadowed her gratitude and celebration during past family gatherings. We made a plan for how she could use mindfulness to focus on gratitude for the blessings around her this season. She made a habit of writing the word "NOW" as a reminder to shift her focus away from bickering and back toward the treasures of the present moment. Here's how we consciously attributed meaning to each letter of the word: