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Gratitude Works All Year Long

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Each year, as the Thanksgiving Holiday approaches, we are inundated with media reminding us to be thankful. We are encouraged to count our blessings and offer up gratitude in the spirit of the season. As we prepare to celebrate this holiday founded upon gratitude, many people do pause to give thanks. Being surrounded by family and friends, cooking together and sharing a meal creates an atmosphere of appreciation and love. This prompts our recognition of health, happiness, success and life. But when the holiday comes to an end, we may inadvertently allow these warm feelings wane. Gratitude, however, is a feeling that deserves to stay with us all year long, beyond Thanksgiving. Not only is it beneficial for personal relationships, research shows that it also provides a significant boost to emotional well being.

 

Researchers at the University of Miami studied the effect of feeling and expressing heartfelt gratitude, and found it is beneficial for long term emotional health. Likewise, at the University of California-Davis, psychologists found gratitude can act as a stress buffer, because focusing on the things, events and people for which you are thankful and appreciative, redirects negative emotions. In fact, a UC-Davis study asked one group of people to keep gratitude diaries. The findings indicated 75 percent of those who regularly wrote in the diaries scored higher on happiness tests, and developed better sleep and exercise patterns.

 

How can you integrate these exercises into your own routine? Start by journaling. Each day, take a few moments of quiet reflection, and concentrate on the good things in your life. Consider what your life would be like without these things; your spouse and children, your health, your home, good friends, even your hobbies and talents. Also think about individual instances that deserve gratitude. Examples include a kind deed or compliment that improved your whole day; a successful party or gathering you hosted; a safe commute to work through inclement weather; an hour of yoga or other exercise that refreshed and rejuvenated you.

 

Even seemingly minute blessings are worthy of gratitude, so write them down and add a short reminder of why you are so thankful for each occurrence. Since so many positive emotions are linked to gratitude, it shouldn’t take long for you to feel your mood lifting. A few weeks of journaling will condition your mind to feel appreciation more readily over time, which can lead to improved overall enthusiasm, alertness, positivity and focus.

 

Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to start your journey to understanding and expressing gratitude. Don’t let it end with the snap of the wishbone. Use this information and these techniques to carry gratitude through your entire year, and next Thanksgiving, you may be expressing thanks for an incredible transformation in your attitude, and your life.

This Way to 2012

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Simple ways for 2012. . .
Below are three simple steps one can take this year to create more peace and joy.

Meditation and visualization are proven ways to train the mind to relax and create. Letting go is a process of releasing emotional attachments to things and old beliefs and then giving one a sense of freedom.

All aid greatly to relieve stress, overwhelm, and contribute to your peace.

Try these daily …

 

1.   MEDITATE 3 – 15 minutes daily in a upright comfortable position

  • With eyes closed, focus on your breathing to settle thoughts.
  • Notice any sensations within you without judgment; just practice being.
  • Trust the process!

2.  VISUALIZE– 2-3 minutes daily. Eyes closed, then picture within your mind to

  • Visualize all you want to bring forth; experiences, new passions, ways of being, etc.
  • Visualizel kindness, truth, love, acceptance, and joy for you and others.
  • Trust the process!

3.  LETTING GO

  • Get rid of material things that no longer serve you; toss out or give away.
  • Let go of those that de-energize you or limit time with them.
  • Let go of being right
  • Let go of judgments of others and yourself.

My wish for you this year is to consider an ongoing practice of these effective methods. They do work when applied.

Wishing you a fabulous New Year!   Trust the process!

Blessings, Donna Marie

Do You Use Avoidance as a Strategy to Deal with Stress in Your Life?

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Avoiding situations won’t deal with stress. In fact, avoidance may actually escalate your stress. Have you been guilty of this? Everyone has come into contact with a situation that causes stress, fear and anxiety. As a culture, we have a fight or flight response to many stress filled situations, with many people more easily making the choice of flight. This means that many people are choosing to avoid stressful events or situations entirely, rather than deal directly with the source of their stress or fear.

While in the short term, this seems like an easy fix, in actuality it can cause much more harm than good. By choosing to skip out on any event that may cause you undue stress, you will not be able to effectively learn tools and coping skills. There are many things you can do yourself to  help you prepare to deal with stress in advance.

One effective tool is planning ahead. Envision the stressful situation in your mind. Maybe it is a situation at work, such as a meeting where you always feel put on the spot.  Now break down the event into steps. Visualize in your mind a successful meeting. Visualize being calm, centered and in control during the whole meeting. Imagine successfully answering any questions posed to you, easily and calmly. The more you can picture yourself succeeding, the more you will be able to meet any challenge thrown your way.

Also, take time to connect with yourself before every stressful situation so that you do not feel like you need to run away from a challenge or stress. Take time to do deep breathing, relaxation or meditation, or take time to thank the universe for the multiple blessings in your life. Many people also practice affirmations. Repeating positive thoughts over and over to yourself will allow you to prep yourself to deal with stress and stressful situations as they arise.

Once you have spent time envisioning a challenging situation going smoothly, preparing internally for the challenges that may lie ahead, and practicing positive self talk and affirmations, you will be prepared and ready meet any challenging situation that may come your way. Deal with stress in this way and you will find that difficult situations can become easier, and you will be able to meet your challenges head on.

Begin the Day with Mindfulness Meditation to Calm Stress at Work

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The work climate is sometimes a difficult one, and many people may find it hard to cope with the pressure of dealing with stress while at their job. It makes sense. Most people spend the majority of their day at their job, and the stressors of co-workers, bosses, and  looming projects and deadlines sometimes contribute to a difficult working environment.

It’s easy for a small issue at work to become a larger one very quickly, and if you don’t take time to deal with stress at work as it comes, you might find yourself feeling the pressure. While dealing with stress at work may seem like an insurmountable obstacle, it is one that can be easily overcome simply by adding a few  simple steps to your day.

In the morning, when you wake up, think about your morning routine. Is there any time for you to stop and give thanks for the blessings you already have in your life? Most people jump from task to task to task throughout their day, and never have even ten minutes to stop and think about things they can be grateful for. Stopping and taking some time to ruminate and give thanks is called Mindfullness Meditation.

Simply reminding yourself of the good things will help you not focus your energy and attention on the negative aspects. Take ten minutes every morning to practice Mindfullness Meditation, and you will quickly see the benefit this practice can have on  your day to day life.

You need to make it your goal to not sweat the little things. When confronted with a difficult or stressful situation while at your job, take time to think before you react. Think back to your morning practice of Mindfulness Meditation. By channeling the positive energy you brought with you from the morning, you will be able to deflate some of the mounting frustrations that may arise while on the job.

Remember that everyone deals with their own stressors in different ways, and sometimes their reactions may have nothing do with you. Mindfulness Meditation can be a good addition to your morning routine and can help you when dealing with stress at work.