Those that take time to be grateful are proven to
be happier and healthier. But just saying “Thank you” is not the only practice of
Gratitude. Welcoming opportunities of adversity as a motivator to smooth out
your growth edges or reflect on areas needing strength is a moment of
practicing Gratitude. Stopping and slowing down your moment to fully engage in the
present time is a practice of Gratitude.
Students that develop the skills needed to practice
Gratitude regularly are more successful in school, manage emotions in a healthier way, have less conflict and more positive problem solving skills, and are genuinely
happier and more resilient.
This November I would like to encourage you to
share your Gratitude. Consider online journaling, using a Gratitude journal, practicing
mindfulness or any other number of Gratitude practices that you can incorporate into your daily life. Provide the footprint that your children need to follow as you walk the path of Gratitude.
"Thousands of years of literature talk about
the benefits of cultivating gratefulness as a virtue," says University of
California Davis psychology
professor Robert Emmons. Throughout history, philosophers and religious leaders
have extolled gratitude as a virtue integral to health and well-being. Now,
through a recent movement called positive psychology, mental health professionals
are taking a close look at how virtues such as gratitude can benefit our
health. And they're reaping some promising results.
Grateful people -- those who perceive gratitude as
a permanent trait rather than a temporary state of mind -- have an edge on the
not-so-grateful when it comes to health, according to Emmons' research on
gratitude. "Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in
more protective health behaviors like regular exercise,
a healthy diet, regular physical examinations," Emmons tells WebMD.
Want to know more? Check it out…
