A study involving 186 men and women who had been diagnosed with asymptomatic (Stage B) heart failure for at least three months, showed “that more gratitude in these patients was associated with better mood, better sleep, less fatigue and lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers related to cardiac health,” said lead author Paul J. Mills, PhD, professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego.
The gratitude activity exercised by participants is called The Gratitude Visit. It is a powerful exercise that can bring instant and lasting joy in your life.
Directions: Close your eyes. Call up the face of someone still alive who years ago did something or said something that changed your life for the better. Someone who you never properly thanked; someone you could meet face-to-face next week. Got a face?
Your task is to write a letter of gratitude to this individual and deliver it in person. The letter should be concrete and about three hundred words: be specific about what she did for you and how it affected your life. Let her know what you are doing now, and mention how you often remember what she did. Make it sing!
Once you have written the testimonial, call the person and tell her you’d like to visit her, but be vague about the purpose of the meeting; this exercise is much more fun when it is a surprise. When you meet her, take your time reading your letter.
If the only possible way of doing this is by mailing the letter, that is meaningful as well. I have done this several times and it is extremely fulfilling. It takes a little bit of time and can be intimidating, but I promise it is worth it. Enjoy!