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Could a Simple Daily Ritual Combat Holiday Stress?

Be empowered this Season

With the holidays approaching, it can come with a lot of mixed feelings. Some people are so excited and love hosting family gatherings, cooking up a storm, baking and decorating. Others feel overwhelmed, dread all the events and shopping, as well as the expenses of keeping up with expected demands from family or friends. Some find it a very lonely time and just want it to be over with and may be grieving the loss of a loved one. And then, there’s always the stress about what to buy for those persnickety family members!!


I had the privilege of being in Nashville, Tennessee several years ago, *before covid and before moving to Colorado. I attended a counseling conference with 7,000 people and there were over 400 presentations to choose from. I happened to choose one by Dr. Robert Emmons who is a professor at UC Davis. He has spent 30 years doing research on the emotional and physical health benefits of having a spirit of gratefulness. I was so fascinated by his research and his findings and especially how it impacts our mood during times of stress.

Dr. Emmons has done numerous studies and one he repeatedly does is with college students. He divides up his classes into 3 groups. One group is asked to write about 5 things each day they are grateful for, the second group writes about just the things they did that day- neutral writing and the 3rd group is asked to write about all the negative things that happened to them that day.


The results showed:

Those students who wrote about the events that they were grateful for reported higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. They also had better sleep, increased their amount of exercise, and had increased positive interactions in their relationships. Those students with neutral writing had no change in their lives and those who wrote about negative events reported feeling more depressed and unhappy than before-makes sense, right?


National Research has shown that grateful people tend to be more empathetic, generous and more helpful to people in their social networks. They also report greater job satisfaction, better salaries, and have a lower emphasis on materialism in their lives. There is also a strong connection between gratefulness and people who engage in religious practices and prayer. Faith seems to enhance the ability to be grateful.


So, if psychologists can see the benefits of this spirit of gratefulness, it’s interesting to note that the Bible mentions being thankful 150 times. “Praise the Lord, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1, and in Psalm 28:7 it says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks.”

 I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”


Dr. Emmons found that when people look for the surprises in each day, the unexpected little miracles, the smile from a stranger, the red robin chirping in the tree, a hug from a family member, a positive business interaction, etc… when we focus on those kinds of things we are actually connecting to the divine, to our creator, our loving heavenly father, and we are strengthening our mental and emotional fortitude to face life’s challenges. Just recently, while making sugar cookies with my grandchildren, I saw the delight and thrill in their eyes as they made their cookie creations. The simple joy of creating their craft, lifted my heart and made me smile.


So, a spirit of gratefulness keeps us connected to our heavenly father, his creation and his divine work in our lives. A spirit of gratefulness is honoring Him. 


Every day that we notice the goodness of God, the sun rise, and the simple surprises in life, we are building up our inner self and soul. We are building up our faith. We are strengthening our ability to handle life challenges, difficulties in relationships and prioritize what’s important and not. It’s our work…I believe there is an alignment with faith and a spirit of gratitude. I see the light of God enter my soul as I embrace thoughts of gratitude.

This year as we approach the holidays, I challenge you to slow the pace, breathe, and journal 3-5 things a day about what you are grateful for as an antidote for stress.  Everyday decide to write about simple surprises and try not to repeat any item. Make it creative and inspiring. Try it for 30 days and see how it impacts you this season. Drop me a note and let me know how it impacted you. For my first journal note, I’m grateful for all of you. May you be blessed this season with peace, joy and gratitude.

Learning to Walk in Daily Forgiveness

By Cinda Marie Basila • September 15, 2024
How would your life change if you added this daily habit?

Time to Slow Down!

By Cinda Basila • July 23, 2024
A few months ago, I was driving my trusty Subaru Ruby to see a friend and meet her for a walk around Clement Lake. It was a hectic Friday afternoon with traffic and the left lane I was in was backed up with cars that were not moving. I decided I should change lanes and move into the middle lane. I turned my head to make sure there was no traffic coming and pushed on the gas, and SMASH! I jammed the left front of my car into the woman’s SUV in front of me. The whole front side of my car was crushed, and I could barely open my door. I sat there shaking for a moment and could hardly breathe. I couldn’t believe I had done that. How could I have misjudged the space between cars? I’ve changed lanes thousands of times and never misjudged the space. My thoughts were interrupted by the woman in front of me who got out of her SUV and came over to my car, "Are you okay?” she said, “Yes, I’m okay.” I said, “Praise the Lord, we’re both okay,” she exclaimed. Wow, so kind. I had flash of a memory of an accident as a young woman, where the person I hit came out yelling and screaming at me and literally jerked me out of my car, so this was a welcome surprise. I called Dave and then called the police and was able to move my car out of the way of traffic to the left. I did end up getting a ticket, but nobody was hurt, and I was able to drive my car home. The woman I hit was a grandma and on her way to church for a baby shower with cupcakes in the backseat of her car. She remained calm throughout the time we waited for the police and even asked to pray with Dave and me. While we waited, the words that came to my mind whispered from the Lord were “Time to Slow Down.” I had caused an accident and wasn’t even pressured to be somewhere at an exact time-it was a casual get together with a friend, but I had raced down the road like I had to get there in a mad chase. Ugh. I’m human, I made a mistake. I was very sorry that all happened, and I was shaken up for a while. I felt bad for the woman who had to get her car fixed, sad for my car, and sad for myself. I also felt anxious driving and changing lanes in the next few weeks. I ended up trading in my car and now drive a Highlander which I feel much safer in. But I’ve pondered that message from God a lot since then. I remind myself daily that I need to slow down. Not just in traffic, but in my thoughts, striving, and my many lists of things to do, etc. I tell myself daily, “slow the pace, deep breathe, one thing at a time.” It was a painful lesson, but I’m grateful I’m on the other side of it all and moving a little slower and more mindfully-a slowed down pace and a little more peace.
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