This blog was written by Fairfield County ADAMH Board Program Coordinator Patricia Waits, M.Ed., LPC, LICDC-CS.
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Many studies over the past decade have found that people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed. In a research study involving nearly 300 adults, mostly college students who were seeking mental health counselling at a university, results indicated that gratitude writing can be beneficial not just for healthy, well-adjusted individuals but also for those who struggle with mental health concerns. In fact, it seems practicing gratitude on top of receiving psychological counseling carries greater benefits than counseling alone, even when that gratitude practice is brief.
 
Most of the studies published on this topic support an association between gratitude and an individual's well-being. Other studies have looked at how gratitude can improve relationships. For example, a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partners felt not only more positive toward the other persons but also more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationships.
 
The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways, gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. While the holiday of Thanksgiving emphasizes the gift of gratitude, it is important to practice some elements of gratitude every day. 
 
The 12-step recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous considers the development of daily gratitude essential for emotional and spiritual growth. “I have come to believe that hard times are not just meaningless suffering and that something good might turn up at any moment. That’s a big change for someone who used to come to in the morning feeling sentenced to another day of life. When I wake up today, there are lots of possibilities. I can hardly wait to see what’s going to happen next.” (Anonymous)
 
Gratitude can impact emotions by helping people to feel better, more relaxed, less envious, and more resilient. It increases our ability to be social, kinder, and more compassionate and to develop deeper relationships. It affects our personalities — increasing self-esteem making us more optimistic, more spiritual, less self-centered, and less materialistic. It improves sleep, increases energy, and helps us live longer, and we are ill less often. As if that is not enough in the way of benefits, it can help us at work; we can become better managers by improving our networking and decision-making skills and increase our productivity and goal achievement.
 
A five-minute-a-week gratitude journal is a great place to start. The actual gratitude produced during those five minutes is small, but the emotions of gratitude felt during those five minutes are enough to trigger a grateful mood. It takes several months of continuous practice for the largest benefits to appear. This is for two reasons: cultivating gratitude is a skill, and it becomes a personality trait. “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” (Zig Ziglar)

This blog was written by Fairfield County ADAMH Board Program Coordinator Patricia Waits, M.Ed., LPC, LICDC-CS.

​I had heard about laughter clubs on an episode of 60 Minutes many years ago. It featured a small group of people, standing around in a circle, laughing hard. They were not laughing at one another, or laughing at a joke; they were actually practicing what is called laughter yoga. Started by Dr. Madan Kataria the movement was brought to the United States as World Laughter Tour in 1998 by Steve Wilson, a psychologist. I had always found laughter to help with my chronic depression so I attended the training with Steve Wilson to see what it was all about.
 
Laughter clubs are held in workplaces, health clubs, retirement communities, nursing homes, and schools. There are thousands of laughter clubs around the world, and more than 4,000 Certified Laughter Leaders. Laughter club is a unique exercise routine that combines group laughter exercises with yoga breathing, and the physical and psychological benefits include lowered blood pressure, increased immune systems, reduced stress and anxiety, and many more.
 
“Most folks are too stressed, too hurried, too glum, or just don’t understand laughter enough to take time for it,” says Wilson, “which is too bad, because laughter is so beneficial that everyone needs to make their daily quota. People only laugh for about three seconds when they hear a joke so, if you are waiting for jokes to make your quota, you will need about 300 new jokes every day, which is impossible. Fortunately, there are other good options for generating mirthful laugher.”
 
People in laughter clubs use a systematic method of chuckles, chortles, giggling, and
guffawing to reduce stress, prevent hardening of the attitudes, and contribute to world peace. The laughter routine, designed to make anyone feel better, works without using jokes or comedy to stimulate the laughter. There can be many sensitive issues around humor, such as people not getting jokes or being offended by them, so we skip jokes altogether. We laugh with each other, never at each other. At first the laughter exercise routines can seem a bit contrived, but soon peals of genuine happiness-and-health-boosting laughter ring out and roll on.
 
One of the features in laughter club that I especially like and have made a part of my routine is “Good Hearted Living.” Mondays are for compliments, giving and receiving them. Tuesdays are for flexibility, trying something different, breaking routine. Wednesdays are for gratitude, making lists of all the things going well in life and speaking them out loud. Thursdays are for random acts of kindness — don’t ask if you can help; ask what you can do. Fridays are for forgiveness, letting go of anger and resentments. Weekends are for chocolate and rest, recreation, and relaxation, enjoying the sweetness of life.
 
If you want to know more about laughter clubs, you can call 800.NOW.LAFF or visit www.worldlaughtertour.com. The motto for the World Laughter Tour is my favorite, “Think globally, laugh locally.”