In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, this week’s focus is on the practice of Gratitude. While the holidays are often a time for many of us to reflect on and appreciate the things we are thankful for, for some this time of year can also bring up feelings of stress, anxiety, and sadness. Research shows that practicing gratitude is strongly associated with greater happiness, and can help people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

As students are reaching the end of the first trimester, practicing gratitude can be a helpful way for students and families to reflect on their successes and what has gone well so far this year, instead of focusing on what has not.

Here are some of the mental health benefits of practicing gratitude:

1. Expressing gratitude can improve your mood. People who regularly express gratitude for the positive things in their life are shown to be happier overall, leading to lower rates of stress and depression.
2. Showing gratitude can make you more optimistic. Studies show that those who express gratitude regularly appear to have a more positive outlook on life. 
3. Sharing gratitude can improve social bonds. People have reported feeling more loved and more connected to others in their lives when they routinely practice gratitude or those around them practice gratitude.
4. Practicing gratitude can improve your physical health. People who actively express gratitude tend to be more engaged in activities to take care of their physical health, like eating well and exercising. This leads to higher energy levels, better sleep, and a stronger immune system, or the ability to fight off illness or infection.

People can feel and express gratitude in many ways and is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of focusing on what they lack. While we tend to focus on more external things that we are grateful for in our lives, it’s important to remember to appreciate positive things about ourselves as well. However, you choose to practice gratitude, make sure to dedicate some time to acknowledge your own growth and accomplishments.

Here are some different ways to help yourself and your family practice gratitude on a more regular basis:

1. Daily Gratitude: begin a practice of identifying one thing you are grateful for each day, either in the morning by acknowledging one thing that went well the previous day, or at night before bed by acknowledging something positive from that specific day. You can make this a solo practice or something you do together as a family each day.
2. Weekly Practice: Pick a time every week to sit down and write down or reflect on things that are going well or that you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number, such as three to five things, that you will identify each week.
3. Keep a Gratitude Journal: Get into a practice of writing or journaling about your blessings and the positives in your life. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you. This practice can be kept up with daily, weekly, or whenever you feel like it. 
4. Reset your thinking: Most of us feel frustrated by something in a normal day. When you find yourself feeling upset or frustrated, hit the pause button. Come up with something positive about the situation or think about something else entirely that you are thankful for.
5. Share gratitude with others: Write a thank-you letter or share verbally with someone your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life. Make a habit of expressing gratitude to someone in your life at least once a month. We often forget to share these sentiments with others, and it can help us feel happier while also deepening relationships with others when we express appreciation. Even if you aren’t able to express these thoughts to the person, it can be helpful even just to think about someone who has done something nice for you and mentally thank them.
6. Meditate: Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as "peace"), it is also possible to focus on what you're grateful for (the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).

CLICK HERE to share what you are grateful for now. 

 

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If you would like to meet with your school counselor - CLICK HERE

 

·  Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255

·  Crisis Text Line: text word “HOME” to 741-741 

·  Didi Hirsch Mental health Services: (877) 727-4747

·  LA County Mental Health Services: (800) 854-7771

·  The Trevor Project: (866) 488-7386

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