Benefits of a Daily Gratitude Practice
Gratitude is a strong feeling of appreciation to someone or something for what the person has done to help you. It is noticing and looking for connections and positive attributes in your daily life and taking the time to be thankful for them.
What is a gratitude practice?
A gratitude practice is a regular routine of directing our thoughts to notice the good things that occur every day and taking the time to reflect on them, usually by putting them into writing.
Research has shown that keeping a gratitude journal can significantly increase feelings of well-being and life satisfaction.
Putting thoughts into writing can also help you conceptualize your feelings, accept circumstances and experiences, and reflect on and acknowledge certain moments in your busy life. Putting your thoughts of gratitude into writing can also help you to keep a positive outlook and uplift your spirits on days when things might not seem to be going the way you had anticipated.
Plus, having recorded your positive experiences and nuances that might normally have gotten lost or forgotten in the shuffle of daily life will allow you to look back on them later, which can be a neat way to memorialize your past.
A study showed that people randomly assigned to keep weekly gratitude journals exercised more regularly, felt better about their lives, reported fewer physical symptoms, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week than people assigned to record hassles or neutral events.
Often, people tend to notice, vocalize their feelings about, and dwell on the negative things that happen to us in our lives. When someone cuts you off in traffic for instance, or if you spill your cup of coffee down your blouse after you’ve left the house, it can change your entire outlook and have an adverse effect on your whole day. By consciously looking for the good things, it can overshadow the bad and give you a reason to start thinking more positively.
Here are some ways that developing a daily practice of gratitude can help you and the senior in your life:
How it can benefit you:
Stress and responsibilities of caring for your own family and the health and household needs of an aging parent can weigh you down. Hiring the help of caregivers can give you a break that you need and time to reflect on all that you are thankful for on a daily basis; your health, the health and company of your parent, your ability to hire help, and the compassion of your loved one’s caregivers. When things get overwhelming, taking the time to look for the positive can help change your outlook on the days, weeks, and months.
How it can benefit your senior:
Teaching your senior parents to look for the things in their day to day life and routine to be thankful for might be tricky at first, but once they get the hang of it, it should start to come easier for them. It gets them thinking in a more positive mindset, and they may begin to show more appreciation for the things that they have, are able to do themselves, and the ways that their caregivers are helping them.
How it can benefit their caregivers:
If your parent starts to think more positively, and looks for the things in their life to be grateful for, they may have a newfound appreciation for the things that you and their caregivers do for them on a daily basis.
If you haven’t developed a gratitude practice, now is a great time to start!
If you or a family member are in need of hiring Senior Care in Hallandale, FL, call the caring professionals at Star Multi Care today at (954) 870-4770. Providing service in Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Weston, Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines, Cooper City, Lighthouse Point, and Wilton Manors.
Source:
Dictionary.cambridge.org
Happify.com
Ei.yale.edu
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