Gratitude to Enhance Well-Being

A Year-Round Gratitude Practice Through Mindfulness by Stephanie Cordel

Mindfulness First has been implementing a school-wide mindfulness program at David Crockett Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona since August of this year. Our goal is to make it the first entirely mindful school in Arizona. Our instructors regularly visit each classroom and practice mindfulness with the students as well as teach them various concepts that relate to it.

Mindfulness is the practice of actively paying attention to what is happening in the present moment without attaching judgment. A structured way of cultivating this awareness is by taking time each day to sit and focus on your breathing. This seemingly simple act of bringing attention to your breathing helps you to recognize all of the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that serve as distractions from the present experience. It is during this time that we learn how to practice bringing attention back to our original focus by developing better awareness and concentration. We practice this routine with students of all ages to aid in their own cultivation of mindfulness.

Gratitude is one of the important concepts that we incorporate into our curriculum and teach to all of our students as well.You may be wondering how gratitude fits into a mindfulness curriculum. Well, because Mindfulness First seeks to provide mindfulness as a social and emotional learning tool, we pair mindfulness with other concepts that are shown to support positive social and emotional development among children of all ages. In fact, there are numerous scientifically-proven physical, psychological, and emotional benefits to consciously practicing gratitude on a regular basis.

Several studies have researched the impact of gratitude across different domains. One study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that men and women who wrote letters of gratitude consistently over the course of 3 weeks showed an increase in happiness and life satisfaction along with a decrease in depressive symptoms. Another study in the Journal of Counseling Psychology highlighted that gratitude helps to strengthen and maintain relationships. In the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers report that practicing gratitude positively impacts a person's well-being and people who practice gratitude are even more likely to exercise regularly.

Another reason we link mindfulness with gratitude is that regularly practicing gratitude is not easy. It's not conventionally emphasized and we often forget to consider the aspects of our lives that give us joy, fulfillment, and meaning. This is especially true when we experience tough times. It can be difficult to consciously practice gratitude when we deal with challenging situations. However, it is during those difficult moments that gratitude can help us the most. That's where mindfulness comes in.
When we are experiencing a difficult moment we can easily lose ourselves and our perspective with the intense emotions and consuming thoughts associated with a painful or challenging experience. This entanglement can give a sense of overwhelm and inability to act. If we can take a moment and focus on our breathing when we are caught up with our thoughts and feelings, we can create a pause during this automatic whirlwind. During this pause, if we gently bring awareness to our internal experience of thoughts and feelings, we can become an observer of what is happening instead of a passive participant. This is done by simply recognizing what is actually happening in the moment instead of ruminating, speculating, or judging.
Once we have created enough of a separation to not become consumed by our internal experience, we can then make a choice to shift our thinking by bringing awareness to a different aspect of life such as the things we are grateful for. This active choice of practicing gratitude is how mindfulness can assist in changing the direction of our thoughts and feelings. It is important to keep in mind that this ability to pause during an overwhelming moment takes time to develop. It requires a consistent mindfulness practice to cultivate a habit of purposeful awareness.

At Mindfulness First we recognize the numerous benefits that have been scientifically studied along with the important link between mindfulness and choosing to practice gratitude. Thus we teach gratitude as a tool for students to utilize and a way to personally benefit from when experiencing, particularly when experiencing difficult moments.

During this holiday season don't limit your recognition of the positive things in your life to just this time of the year. Remember that any moment of any day throughout the year provides an opportunity to practice gratitude, which can benefit you all 365 days.

Changing the Way You Work Can Change Your Life

How Changing the Way You Work Can Change Your Life 

By Troy Stoneking 

If you are like most people you spend a large amount of time engaged in your work. But do you enjoy what you do? According to the 2014 Job Satisfaction Surveyconducted by the non-profit research firm the Conference Board, less than 50% of American workers are satisfied at their jobs. But why are people dissatisfied?

Are workplaces so horrible? Is it possible that there are just so many bad bosses out there that people are pushed into misery? Must work be a drudgery that we suffer through for 40 years (or more) then reach the paradise of retirement? I don't think so.

If being an entrepreneur isn't the right fit for you, is satisfaction possible in a job? Although you may need to change your job to be more fulfilled, I believe that for many of us we can have a better job without going anywhere. Let me show you how changing the way you work can change your life.

Live the Vision

Some time ago I worked in a public school district. I managed the school's computer network. My days were filled with complex technical issues and problems that were far removed from the students. But when I stepped back I could see the vision of the organization. We, as a connected group of faculty and staff, were training the next generation to make the world a better place. My part may not have been in front of a classroom directly engaging young minds, but their education was materially affected by what I did every day.

If you want more satisfaction in your work then discover the vision of your organization or team and live it! See your part in the big picture and work knowing that what you do is part of a greater whole. Everyone wants to have significance. So be significant by making your workplace better through your contribution.

Strive for Excellence

Sometimes I have been guilty of doing sub-par work. You know what I mean. Putting in just enough effort to get the job done in a satisfactory way. Not really trying, simply killing time. Do you know how I feel after I finish a task in that manner? Lousy. Drained, tired and a little depressed.

Other times I push myself. I put my whole heart into a task and go all in! I work harder and expend a LOT more energy. Do you know what I feel like after that? Excited! Ready to do more and full of life!! When I strive for excellence I come away fully engaged and completely satisfied. Striving for excellence can make the most mundane of tasks something you can be proud of having completed.

Help Your Colleagues

In every job and entrepreneurial venture I have had there has been a common theme. In some way I was involved in helping others. I'm not telling you this just to say I'm special. I'm telling you this because of a simple truth.

Helping others is like helping yourself. - Henry Flagler

When I take the time to help a coworker, whether or not that directly affects me, I'm making a positive deposit toward their success. When you lift someone up you are also lifted up by the power of generosity. Giving of yourself will make you happier and more satisfied in any situation.

Encourage Positive Change

Here is a guiding principle in every area of life, including your work. Do what you can to make things better. I love to look at a job, department, or organization and think, "How can this be improved?" It's not just an exercise in positive thinking. Often ideas have come during these times that resulted in increased income for the company.

Ask yourself questions such as:

• Where can we reach other markets?
• What are opportunities for new revenue streams?
• How can I help remove waste and improve efficiency?
• What can I do to improve the bottom line?

When you take personal responsibility for making your company more successful your engagement will increase greatly, along with your job satisfaction.

Conclusion

You may not have the most glamorous job in the world, but if you have a job then consider it a blessing. Many may be envious of you. Do what you can to become an engaged part of the vision, put forth your best effort, help others and make your organization a better place. Follow these strategies and you may just find your job is actually a very satisfying endeavor.

Stay Positive around Negative People

By CARINA WOLFF

 LIFESTYLE

There are always going to be situations in your life when it will be hard to keep a positive outlook. This becomes especially more difficult when the people around you take on a bad attitude, but luckily there are ways to stay positive around negative people. Having an optimistic attitude can require some effort, but it can end up having benefits in the long run, both on your mental and physical health.

Studies have found that optimists get sick less frequently, live longer lives, and are less depressed overall than people who constantly think negative thoughts. Although not everyone is born an optimist, you can train your mind to think more positively, which can help you keep your mood up while everyone else's is down.

"Be honest with yourself about where you are at the start of a day," says Positive Psychology Expert Pax Tandon to Bustle over email. "If you're in a 'less than' state of being, which is natural and comes with the territory of being human, acknowledge that and choose your company carefully."

Although steering clear of negativity sounds ideal, there are many times when we can't completely avoid others who are feeling down. In those times, try the following six tips to help you stay upbeat even when you're around other negativity.

1. Rock A Positivity Ratio

"UNC researcher Barbara Fredrickson proposes that we need a ratio of 3:1 positive to negative thoughts to achieve flourishing," says Tandon. "When hanging out with über negative folks, counteract each negative thought they express with three positive ones of your own." If you don't feel comfortable saying them out loud, you can always just think them in your head, which can help keep your stream of thoughts positive.

2. Practice Gratitude

Sometimes people we care about go through hard times, we need to be there to lend them an ear. "Inevitably, this can mean taking in a lot of negativity," says Tandon. "The antidote to this is to practice gratitude. " Immediately after the conversation, come up with a list of things you are grateful for. "The practice of highlighting things in your life that you are grateful for is one of the most effective positive psychology interventions that we have," she says. "It primes your brain to see more of the good stuff, and less of the bad."

3. Don't Take It Personally

Usually someone's negativity has nothing to do with you, and internalizing their thoughts and feelings won't change the situation. Instead, try to understand their mind-set, and take everything with a grain of salt. "Forgive others for being in this space and recognize it's how we're programmed," says Tandon. Practicing compassion and shifting your focus off yourself can help these negative comments roll off your back.

4. Focus On Improvement

"The experiences that teach and shape us the most are often the most traumatic," says Tandon. "Whether you falter or flourish after these is up to you. Choose resilience, and appreciate every way in which you can improve after a negative event — because that's what it's there for, to help you evolve." Looking for solutions to the problem can help you focus on positive outcomes, and it can also help build your character.

5. Just Breathe

So much negative energy can be stressful, so it's best to ease this stress by practicing deep breathing. Studies show that practicing controlled breathing can have an immediate and positive effect. Calming your mind and body down will have you more able to think clearly, which can help dismiss any negative thoughts.

6. Forgive & Forget The Bad Days

Not every day is going to a bubbly, positive day, so when those days do occur, we have to let them go. "Recognize that having 'bad days' and negative thoughts is part of the human experience," says Tandon. Forgive any negative thoughts you may have been experiencing, and use this freedom as an opportunity to focus on making the most out of the present.

Being an optimist is not something that comes naturally to many people — and that's OK. Take a deep breath, find what it is you're thankful for, and know that it is possible to feel and be positive, no matter how impossible it seems at the time.

CARINA WOLFF

 @wolffcar