An Attitude of Gratitude.
As we begin the month of gratitude we have an opportunity to express gratitude for the good that comes from our coworkers. Each of us has a Warm & Fuzzies sheet for others to leave little notes of positivity and gratitude. I love this idea for the staff. I wonder if we as staff can think of a way to expand this to our students as well. After all, the scientific research on gratitude teaches us that we can gain many benefit from starting and practicing a daily gratitude mindfulness.
UC Davis's professor of psychology Robert Emmons is one of the world's leading experts on gratitude and he states that there are two important components to gratitude.
The first part of gratitude is the affirmation of goodness. He states that gratitude helps us wake up to the good around us and helps us take notice of the gifts we are given.
The second part of gratitude is recognizing that the source of the goodness is outside of ourselves. Our gifts and the goodness comes from others.
I have a daily mindfulness practice of morning gratitude. This morning I really took time to think about my gratitude and where they have come from.
A gratitude of coffee (yes, some morning this is a gratitude) means I need to recognize someone, at some point in history figured out the "how to" to make it and now I get to enjoy it. Someone made the machine I use to grind the beans and the machine I use to make the fresh pot. I enjoy coffee because others have come before me with great ideas and wonderful inventions.
I love this new outlook on my gratitude. Really taking time to explore where and who the gratitude belongs to because it is outside of myself. While I might be the one making the coffee I am not the one who harvested and roasted the beans. I did not make the mug I use. My gratitude can begin to expand and I can explore new ways to be grateful.
Research also tells us that gratitude can become a "social glue" to bring us closer to others.
If my gratitude in the morning is toward my family and I begin to explore the gifts they give me I am going to feel closer to them. The closer I feel toward them, the more I am likely to show them kindness, love, compassion, and acts of generosity. I bring us closer together by being grateful for them.
As staff at a school we can begin to explore how to use gratitude to build a stronger community among the staff and the students. We can explore the gifts our coworkers give to us daily. We can also begin to explore the gifts our students give to us daily.
This is a great mindfulness opportunity for your students to build better relationships and form stronger social connections and glue your class together.
Building a gratitude practice is a great way to build strong positive recall in your brain. As we have explored in the past, our brains are hardwired toward the negative as a way to ensure survival. We must actively work to train our brains to have positive recall.
Having a gratitude practice can also be a great benefit to your physical wellbeing. Studies show that those who regularly practice gratitude report few headaches, digestive issues, or sleep problems. It has also been observed that those who focus on finding positives and practice gratitude tend toward healthier life choices. A couple of examples are healthier eating habits and being more active.
In her book The Thank You Project: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time, author Nancy Davis Kho talks about her experience writing 50 letters of gratitude. At first she felt the pressure and uncertainty she would be able to complete this task. The more letters she wrote the more she was able to branch out past family and friends and begin to express more and more gratitude. Nancy reported that the experience boosted her mood and Nancy encourages others to explore writing letter of gratitude.
I challenge you to take this month of gratitude and write as many letters of gratitude as you can. Or at the very least take time to write on as many Warm & Fuzzies sheets as you can!
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