What's so Good about Gratitude?

Nov 7

Living Well News & Updates

Happy November,

With the holidays just around the corner, you may be experiencing a complicated mix of emotions: joy, anticipation, excitement, hope, grief, loneliness, dread, stress, exhaustion, overwhelm. It can be a lot. I would like to both encourage and challenge you during this season to practice gratitude in your life. Maybe it’s naming one thing for which you are grateful around the dinner table or at bedtime, keeping a thankful journal you write in each day or at the end of your week, sending a quick thank you text or email to let someone know you appreciate them, posting a note/quote of gratitude on social media, engaging in an act of kindness, or speaking words of affirmation. Gratitude is more than just saying, “Thank you.” To experience gratitude, we must pause and reflect and set our intention to notice the good…a beautiful sunset, a thoughtful gesture, a breath of fresh air, support when we are struggling, the things or people in our lives that we often take for granted.

Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis, and leading scientific expert on gratitude, has found that people who engage in a regular practice of gratitude report physical, psychological, and social benefits.

Physical Health Benefits:

Stronger immune system
Less bothered by aches and pain
Lower blood pressure
Exercise more and take better care of their health
Sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking

Psychological Health Benefits:

Higher levels of positive emotions
More alert, alive and awake
More joy and pleasure
More optimism and happiness

Social Benefits:

More helpful, generous, and compassionate
More forgiving
More outgoing
Feel less lonely and isolated

Emmons, R. (2010) https://greatergood.berkeley.edu

Gratitude doesn’t mean we force a fake smile and pretend that everything is fine. Gratitude is an intentional choice to call out the authentic good in ourselves and the world around us. The act of gratitude connects us in a profound way to something and someone beyond ourselves. Gratitude involves being humble and vulnerable with others, acknowledging the inherent worth and dignity of others, and an openness to search for joy…meaning…wonder…hope…peace even in the most difficult of circumstances.

May your holiday season be filled with the experience of deep gratitude in unexpected places.

Be well,

Jodi

No amount of regret changes your past.

No amount of anxiety changes your future.

Any amount of gratitude changes your present.

-Ann Voskamp

What’s happening…

One-Day Workshop: Caught in the Middle-Building Connections and Conversations with Kids and Parents - November 5, 2022, 9am-2pm

Dr. Jodi Tompkins will talk about connecting with the different ages and stages people go through, and share communication tools to build healthy relationships. Workshop is hosted by La Jolla Presbyterian Church. Tickets are $20 and include lunch and can be purchased HERE.

Identity Process™ Weekend Retreat -January 20-22, 2023

This unique experience is designed to cultivate a deeper awareness of who you are, gain new understanding of where you’ve been, and develop practical tools to take you where you want to be in your future, while in the company and comfort of a small group of like-minded individuals. Click HERE to register and learn more!

“This weekend was exactly what I didn’t even know I needed. Every detail was so beautifully thought out. I am so full and excited to keep working through this curriculum. This was absolutely a safe space. I am so grateful. I want everyone I know to experience this.”

-Antwanette Robinson, ID Process™ Retreat Participant

Click to learn more about LIVING WELL & IDENTITY PROCESS™