How Gratitude Meditation can make you happier this season
Fight the winter gloom with this easy practice
The winter holidays are a traditional time of reflection. As the nights become longer, and we approach the days with the least amount of light, we come face to face what matters most to us in life. The mythologies of ancient peoples reflected these themes: journeying to the underworld, confronting mortality, and new hope embodied in the (re)birth of the Sun God (and later, the child Christ).
Even though most of us live our lives utterly disconnected from nature, the cycles of the seasons still have important effects of our biology. The winter darkness is well-known to make us more vulnerable to depression, especially if we are forced to be apart from those we love.
Humans have created rituals around this time of the year to bring hope and light into this dark season. Many of us still celebrate by giving and receiving gifts, by communal meals, and by decorating with light that are meant to reflect the ultimate victory of the Sun over darkness. Unfortunately, as it is the case with many ancient rituals, meanings over time are lost, and what remains is a hollowed out set of practices that we do mindlessly without benefiting of their power.
Right after many on the western hemisphere get together to say thanks for what they have, they rush to the (virtual) stores to buy whatever they can at a discount. Holiday-themed advertisements dress cities and malls in colourful lights, inciting people to carry out the only ritual that really matters to their creators: holiday shopping.
Unfortunately, this cold consumerism is only making the effects of winter gloom worse, especially at a time when many have lost their source of income due to the restrictions introduced as an answer to the global pandemic. Studies confirm the everyday wisdom that buying things don’t bring long-term happiness, in fact, by strengthening our sense of “always wanting more”, it can bring deep suffering. The Buddhist tradition calls this Raga, often translated as “Greed” or “Attachment”, and it is one of the three roots of unhappiness. The idea is, that our mind is built to overestimate the happiness that we can derive from objects, and because of that, they can never quite live up to our expectations. Never believe an advertisement that tells you that some product will make you truly satisfied.
Fight it with Gratitude
Several studies show that cultivating Gratitude improves almost all metrics of our well-being. Gratitude makes you happier, healthier, makes you feel more connected to others, and is even able to make you quit unhealthy habits like cigarettes more easily.
You can start practicing Gratitude Meditation as part of your meditation routine. Start like you would meditate normally, by sitting in a comfortable position, and focusing on your breathing, until you develop a good sense of awareness and relaxation in your body. Here, you can do several things. One way is to reflect on five things in your life that you appreciate. Think about things that you perhaps take for granted, but actually they make a big difference in your life. It might be helpful to reflect on something you wanted before, and now you have it. Imagine what your life would be without the things you can be grateful for.
It’s important that for each of these things, you express thanks, silently. It doesn’t have to be to anyone, or anything in particular. Just cultivate a sense of gratitude. If of course you can discern that something good that has happened to you is due to the kindness of someone, or something, by all means, express gratitude to them. If you feel like, you can even tell them in person afterwards. Random letters of gratitude are perhaps more meaningful than any material gift you can give.
If you want to take your practice further, keep a gratitude journal. Reading it back is an amazing, and scientifically-backed way to pull you out of a negative mood. Discussing your gratitude points regularly with your partner or loved ones can be a great bonding ritual that will also strengthen your relationship. It is certainly a practice we benefit from.
Gratitude is a powerful tool that can really make a difference for your mental well-being. We hope that at the end of this turbulent and difficult year, this practice can help you bring a bit more light into your life.
