By Joanne Byrne
Retired and Rejuvenated
Joanne Byrne
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanza have come and gone, but it may not be too late to stop and take a second out of your day to say, “Thank you.” In fact, it might be a great New Year’s resolution to put more gratitude into our lives, and even go one step further by telling others just how much we appreciate who they are and what they do. These simple gestures could go a long way in making this world we live in much more “user-friendly.”
Gratitude, it turns out, could be another one of those ever-elusive keys to aging in the right way. But can a simple “thanks” really change your life and help you age for the better?
A lot of people seem to think so. There has been a growing trend in positive psychology research that consistently links gratitude with greater levels of happiness and, in some cases, more positive health outcomes. Being thankful, experts argue, allows you to feel more positive emotions, better equips you to deal with adversity and may even help you formulate stronger relationships. All of these things are important not only when it comes to aging, but when it comes to life.
A study by Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, one of the world’s leading scientific experts on gratitude and positive psychology, asked participants to write a few sentences each week. One group wrote about things they were grateful for that happened during the week, while another group wrote about things that annoyed them each day. A third group wrote about events without any emphasis on them being positive or negative. After 10 weeks, those who wrote about what they were grateful for reported feeling better about their lives, exercised more and had fewer hospital visits over that time period.
Sometimes we hear about those gratitude journals where you write each day those things for which you are thankful. This exercise sometimes feels like a lot of work. Perhaps it might be better to keep a mental journal on what brings you pleasure, because this is what you should focus on. What was the most amusing thought you had today? What made you smile today? Those are the things that make a difference.
Keeping a sense of curiosity alive by connecting gratitude with a sense of humor gives us a more hopeful outlook and can help fend off negative emotions. By savoring life and living in the present you may be able to increase your energy, reduce stress and strengthen social bonds – all important aspects not just for aging, but for life.
Another study from the University of California San Diego’s School of Medicine found that people who were more grateful experienced better heart health, with less inflammation and healthier heart rhythms. A sense of gratitude and humor has nothing whatsoever to do with age and has everything to do with the sort of attitude you bring into the room. The most important bottom line is that humor and gratitude are all about kindness, a thing we just need more of in the world.
Gratitude isn’t a cure-all remedy, but a little bit of optimism, playfulness and a sense of humor might not be bad ingredients to add to your recipe for successful aging. It just might be a great way to start 2020 by bringing a greater sense of gratitude, thankfulness and humor into the world around us.
Joanne Byrne served as Senior Services Coordinator for the Town of Orange. She is now actively and happily retired. Email her at joannebyrne41@gmail.com to share your thoughts on retirement.