Cultivating Gratitude in a Season of Excess

Cultivating Gratitude in a Season of Excess

Despite all our good intentions, the holidays have most certainly become a time of excess in our society: too much food, too much drink, too much stuff.

As bargain shoppers, we need to be on guard from letting all the great deals overshadow the true meaning of the season. After all, no one wants to be the one with children who rip through a mountain of presents and then say, “˜is that all?'

Here are five ways to avoid the excess and cultivate a sense of gratitude this holiday season.

Keep a gratitude journal

As a professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis, Robert Emmons has focused his career on the study of gratitude. One of his top tips is to create a gratitude journal. In a 2003 study, Emmons discovered individuals who made weekly entries in a gratitude journal not only reported greater feelings of happiness and optimism but also experienced physical benefits such as better sleep.

The gratitude journals weren't anything complex either. Each week's entry was five simple sentences listing five things for which the participant was grateful.

Volunteer with your family

One way to help diminish any sense of entitlement your children have may be to volunteer helping those less fortunate. Once they realize some kids will only be getting one toy for Christmas and eating a bagged lunch for dinner, it might make them more grateful for what they have.

Volunteering can also have health benefits. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, research shows volunteers tend to have greater satisfaction with life, fewer incidences of depression and lower mortality rates.

Stop shopping when you have enough

Have you ever bought a house or a car and then a month later run across a great deal on one that is bigger or newer? Suddenly, that house or car you loved a month ago doesn't seem so great anymore.

We sabotage our efforts to be grateful people when we're constantly on the hunt for something better. In addition, the adrenaline rush of scoring a great bargain is also what leads us to over-indulge our children (and ourselves!) on Christmas morning. My advice to keep things in check is to simply stop shopping once you've got everything on your list. That means no more browsing ads or peaking at the Amazon Lightning Deals “˜just in case' there is something you can't live without.

Share what you have

Along those same lines, share your bounty with others. The more tightly we hold onto our possessions, the more they control us. Release their grip by giving away some of your excesses.

Our SavingsAngel.com members regularly tell us they load up bags of food from their pantries to give to local food banks. But don't stop there. If you bought five $10 sheet sets during a Black Friday sale, ask yourself if you really need that many. Instead of clinging to the excess, be grateful you had the means to buy extra and then pass them along to someone less fortunate.

Use a language of gratitude

Finally, Emmons notes grateful people use a particular language that focuses on gifts, giving, blessings and abundance. These people focus not on how good they are but rather on the good things others have done on their behalf. This, in turn, sparks gratitude rather than pride or conceit.

Grateful people also smile, say thank you and write notes of thanks. Emmons says even if you don't feel particularly thankful, going through the motions can help trigger grateful emotions.

Using these five strategies can help change your perspective and fight against a culture that seems preoccupied with “˜what's in it for me.'