The pandemic has brought great uncertainty, changed our opportunity to interact with loved ones and has affected millions of jobs. While 2020 has been a trying time, which will likely impact the next few years of our lives, some would suggest it\u2019s even more important now than ever to be thankful for what you have.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of studies that show that our thoughts lead first, then our emotions follow,\u201d says W. Steven Saunders, Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ associate lecturer of psychology<\/a> and a licensed psychologist. \u201cGiven that, establishing positive emotions or wellbeing \u2014 even in the face of difficult things happening in your life \u2014 by practicing gratitude can psychologically shifts your attention to things that are actually going right in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n Thanksgiving is a time when people typically express their appreciation for their family, friends, or a delicious meal, but the changes and challenges of this year may make it hard to find this spirit.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether you\u2019re talking to older relatives or younger friends over the holidays, talk with them about if they\u2019ve seen anything good come out of this strange, bizarre year and it might be interesting to see what different generations have to say about that,\u201d says Linda Simmons \u201920MA<\/strong>, aa staff therapist who supports students through the College of Medicine<\/a>\u2019s Counseling and Wellness Services.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most reliable research suggests there is an indirect impact on physical health.\u201d \u2014 Linda Simmons<\/strong> \u201920MA<\/strong>, College of Medicine staff therapist<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Regardless, gratitude can be a daily practice that has long-term effects. Over the past decade, many studies on gratitude have shown varying advantages, such as improving sleep and mental health, reducing ailments, and even boosting your immune system.<\/p>\n But the benefits may not happen the way you think.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most reliable research suggests there is an indirect impact on physical health,\u201d says Simmons, who recently earned a master\u2019s in counselor education<\/a> from Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½. \u201cGratitude can help you receive the benefits of greater emotional well-being, psychological health, and social health, which can cause people to be more likely to take care of themselves physically and their medical health needs.\u201d<\/p>\n And while there have been mixed results on gratitude\u2019s ability to influence levels of depression, Saunders notes that positive and negative emotions have a hard time coexisting together.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you purposely set up a positive emotion, it cascades and helps you feel good more often,\u201d Saunders says.<\/p>\n Some people are naturally predisposed to a more negative outlook, making it harder to find things to be thankful for than others, Simmons says. Even if you\u2019re a glass-half-full type of person, it may be challenging some days to maintain your gratitude.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing we don\u2019t find very helpful is forced gratitude.\u201d \u2014 Linda Simmons<\/strong> \u201920MA<\/strong>, College of Medicine staff therapist<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cOne thing we don\u2019t find very helpful is forced gratitude,\u201d Simmons says. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t advise launching into a person for whom gratitude doesn\u2019t come easy or telling someone to \u2018Just look on the bright side.\u2019 Oftentimes that actually makes a person feel less positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, take time to truly process whatever you\u2019re feeling, especially if you\u2019ve lost experiences, people or opportunities in the past year. Sometimes the best thing you can do for someone else is to just listen.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of negativity is fear-based and we\u2019re living in an age where there\u2019s a lot of fear going around,\u201d Saunders says. \u201cWhat we know about psychology is the more you talk about your feelings and emotions the more they change. So approaching someone with compassion and really listening can really make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Once, you\u2019re ready to start focusing on the positive, Saunders says you should develop a ritual or routine around the value that is meaningful to you.<\/p>\n Gratitude is a like a muscle and like any muscle consistent exercise is necessary for growth. One common practice is the \u201cThe Big Three,\u201d naming or writing a list of three things you\u2019re grateful for each day. Keeping a gratitude journal can benefit you personally, as well as professionally. A study conducted by Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ researchers earlier this year found the habit can lead employees to exhibit less rude behavior and mistreatment of others in the workplace<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another method is writing a letter to someone who has made a difference in your life. Although gratitude can make a difference even when you keep it to yourself, sharing your appreciating with others can help spread positive feelings and strengthen your relationships.<\/p>\n When giving thanks to a loved one, a new study published in Sage Journals<\/em> found it\u2019s best to be specific about how they helped support your needs. It also found that you should avoid pointing out sacrifices an individual has made for you since it diminishes their altruistic motivation for doing so.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if you don\u2019t have a spiritual or religious belief, you can still practice gratitude in some simple ways every day.\u201d \u2014 W. Steven Saunders, psychology associate lecturer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cWhatever your personal belief system might be, you can incorporate that,\u201d Saunders says. \u201cEven if you don\u2019t have a spiritual or religious belief, you can still practice gratitude in some simple ways every day.\u201d<\/p>\n Simmons, who has experience as a Presbyterian minister and a hospital chaplain, says gratitude is an important value and practice in most major world religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.<\/p>\n \u201cFor some people, gratitude is spiritual. For other people, it\u2019s interpersonal. But it\u2019s outside ourselves in some way, something we didn\u2019t make happen, cause, create, or earn \u2014 it\u2019s given to us as a gift,\u201d Simmons says. \u201cTo me, gratitude is an invitation to say \u2018I wonder if that\u2019s the only way we can look at this day, week, month, season or year? Is there a way we can look at not just what we lost or missed, but what we learned, what is new about a circumstance or what brought us closer?\u2019 Most of us have never been through a pandemic before, and we don\u2019t know how to handle it, so however we\u2019ve handled it is OK.\u201d<\/p>\n Students struggling with maintaining their emotional and mental well-being can find support through <\/em>Counseling and Psychological Services<\/em><\/a>. Â鶹ӳ»´«Ã½ employees and their dependents can take advantage of the\u00a0<\/em>Employee Assistance Program<\/em><\/a>, which provides confidential, short-term counseling at no cost. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While 2020 has been a difficult year, psychology and College of Medicine faculty members emphasize why and how you should still find things to be thankful for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":115716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[6,12],"tags":[697,979,8279,4630],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-115713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-health","tag-caps","tag-college-of-medicine","tag-department-of-psychology","tag-thanksgiving"],"yoast_head":"\nUnderstanding the Benefits<\/h2>\n
Authenticity is Key<\/h2>\n
Grow Your Gratitude<\/h2>\n