Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to write a gratitude letter. Writing this
Speaker 1: letter and sharing it with the person you're grateful for
Speaker 1: is a good way to make a happier holiday season.
Speaker 1: A few episodes ago, I described an exercise from Martin
Speaker 1: Seligman's book Flourish about recording what went well each day.
Speaker 1: Today's tip about another gratitude practice from Flourish can help
Speaker 1: us connect with the people who've made a big difference
Speaker 1: in our lives. Seligman proposes writing something called a gratitude letter,
Speaker 1: and here's how to do it. First, think about someone
Speaker 1: who has been kind to you or who has made
Speaker 1: an important impact on your life, but who you haven't
Speaker 1: really thanked. Write that person a thank you letter. Describe
Speaker 1: what they did and how it has influenced you. Second,
Speaker 1: and here's where the practice gets a little unusual. Rather
Speaker 1: than sending the letter in the mail hand, deliver the
Speaker 1: letter and read it aloud to the person you want
Speaker 1: to thank. Now, you may be thinking that this sounds complicated,
Speaker 1: especially if the person doesn't live next door, and might
Speaker 1: feel a little awkward. Maybe so talking about feelings is hard,
Speaker 1: even if they're good feelings. But here's why he suggests it.
Speaker 1: By being vulnerable and telling someone what they have meant
Speaker 1: to you in person and at length, you are demonstrating
Speaker 1: their importance to you and how much you appreciate them.
Speaker 1: And just imagine how the person you think is going
Speaker 1: to feel. Most likely, he or she will feel happy
Speaker 1: and proud to have had such a positive impact on you.
Speaker 1: The person will feel honored by your time and your
Speaker 1: words and openness, and probably closer to you too. You
Speaker 1: might also imagine how you are going to feel grateful
Speaker 1: for how that person has influenced your life, connected to them,
Speaker 1: and bolstered by all these good feelings. Now. I know
Speaker 1: this might sound a bit like common sense that thank
Speaker 1: you notes make both writer and recipient feel better, but
Speaker 1: as a research psychologist, Seligman did more than just imagine
Speaker 1: how writing gratitude letters would make people feel. He and
Speaker 1: his colleagues studied the effects and found that writing and
Speaker 1: delivering gratitude letters left participants feeling significantly better than a
Speaker 1: control group. For a month, those who wrote gratitude letters
Speaker 1: reported more happiness and fewer symptoms of depression, and given
Speaker 1: how many people can feel out of sorts during the holidays,
Speaker 1: I'm a big fan of anything that can make people
Speaker 1: happy into the new year. So who do you have
Speaker 1: to thank? Maybe it's a teacher or a neighbor you
Speaker 1: knew when you were a child, someone who valued you,
Speaker 1: understood you, nudge you to follow your dreams. Or perhaps
Speaker 1: you'd like to thank a professional mentor who helped you
Speaker 1: earlier in your career. Or maybe it's a parent or
Speaker 1: aunt or uncle who helped you during your early days
Speaker 1: of parenting. Or maybe it's a friend who offered you
Speaker 1: counsel during a difficult time. So today, try writing down
Speaker 1: the names of the people in your life you are
Speaker 1: most grateful for. Linger over this list, take a moment
Speaker 1: to recall specific memories with each person, consider how they
Speaker 1: impacted you. Then choose one of these people to thank.
Speaker 1: Write a letter sharing your memories, describing what the person
Speaker 1: meant to you, and expressing your gratitude. Then make a
Speaker 1: visit to read your letter and say thank you in person.
Speaker 1: You may feel so good after your visit that you'll
Speaker 1: decide to write gratitude letters to the other people on
Speaker 1: your list as well. If you do this writing and
Speaker 1: delivering a gratitude letter. Let me know how it goes
Speaker 1: for you and the person you think. You can email
Speaker 1: me at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening and
Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
Speaker 1: that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com. That Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite chips.