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The Power of Gratitude: A Simple Practice for a Happier Life
21 Plays7 months ago
In this episode, we explore the transformative power of gratitude and how it can enhance our overall well-being.
Key Takeaways:
- The benefits of gratitude on mental health and happiness
- Practical tips for incorporating gratitude into daily life
- The connection between gratitude and resilience
Episode Highlights:
- The science behind gratitude and its positive effects on the brain
- The importance of journaling and mindfulness for cultivating gratitude
- Expressing gratitude verbally to loved ones and strangers
- Overcoming challenges and maintaining gratitude
Resources:
- "A black woman's guide to daily gratitude" by DaJavon Moore-Adu
- "Mindfulness" by Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Guided meditation apps (e.g., Headspace, Calm)
- Gratitude journaling prompts by Sol Well
Call to Action:
- Start a gratitude journal and write down three things you're grateful for each day.
- Practice mindfulness meditation for a few minutes each day.
- Express gratitude to loved ones and strangers.
- Share your gratitude journey on social media using the hashtag #CultivateGratitude or #IAmSolWell
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Transcript
Introduction & Purpose
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Soul Well Podcast, where moms of color find strength and community in the mental health space. Each week we ignite inspiration as we set our intentions with affirmations and dive deep into honest conversations with fellow moms and mental health experts. We're here to hold space for you, to shatter stigmas and elevate the voices of moms of color.
Community & Policy Focus
00:00:22
Speaker
We'll fight for policy change, empower you with mindful resources, and most importantly, remind you that you're never alone on this journey. It takes a village to raise a mother. Now let's meet at The Well. Welcome back to The So Well Podcast.
The Power of Gratitude
00:00:37
Speaker
Today we are diving into the powerful practice of the gratitude as a self-proclaimed mother juggler, busy mom with multiple responsibilities and managing my mental health.
00:00:51
Speaker
I found that cultivating gratitude has been instrumental in improving my overall being and improving my relationship and connection in my faith and my connection with God. um I will have to say that gratitude has been one of the most consistent things that I have tried for myself and has truly been life changing. And so I wanted to do an episode solely focused just on that.
00:01:16
Speaker
So today you are getting me. It's a solo episode, and we're talking about the power of gratitude. Gratitude has the ability to shift our perspective, reduce stress, and boost our happiness. Studies have shown that practicing gratitude can increase positive emotions, and improve sleep, and even strengthen our immune system. um And one of the most fascinating things about gratitude is the ability to rewire our brains, right?
00:01:45
Speaker
When we focus on the positive aspects of our life, we're essentially training our brain to seek out and appreciate the good. This can help us develop into having a more optimistic look in reducing negative emotions around ourselves and our lives.
Practicing Gratitude
00:02:02
Speaker
I mean, you can even start practicing gratitude at a very young age. I mean, this is something that we tell our kids, say thank you and be grateful And sometimes as we grow older, we forget to look at the little things and be grateful ourselves and to say thank you, to say thank you for the little things, that the a fresh air outside, the water you have. I think we take so much for granted and gratitude helps us to be mindful and to bring us to the present moment, right?
00:02:33
Speaker
And so how do we cultivate gratitude in our daily lives? So, you know, we understand the benefits of gratitude, but I want to talk about practicality, right? Because at the end of the day, we're all moms, right? Majority of our listeners are mothers or identify as someone in the motherhood community. um And it's not easy to start taking on a new practice, right? And so I wanted to give you some practical tools, right? Like really easy things and simple ways to effectively cultivate gratitude. And one of the ways that has helped me the easiest has been gratitude journaling. So how that works is every morning or every night you can take a few minutes to write down three things you're grateful for. It can be anything from the beauty of nature to the love and support of your family to the clothes on your back or the food on your table honey. It can be literally anything and it doesn't have to be multiple things.
00:03:30
Speaker
Some days when you're and you know tired and don't feel right in the whole list, you just put down one thing. And you remember in those hard times just one thing. um And so for me, how I've done that is I actually do my gratitude journaling at the end of the day because I want to remember um at the end of my day, well, number one, I journal at the end of the day because I prepare for my next day. but and I do the gratitude at the end of the day because I'm remembering all the things that happened to me that day and I can choose to focus on the negative or I can choose to be focused on the positive and go fill my cup with gratitude. And so journaling a gratitude journal is an easy way to do that. Now you can invest in a gratitude journal with gratitude prompts and things that kind of help you or you can simply take out a piece of paper
00:04:20
Speaker
um Put it in your audio notes, put it in your to-do list and your phone. Literally, it can be anything. You're just practicing the art of jotting it down. Another powerful technique is mindfulness meditation. So by focusing on the present moment and appreciating the hearing now, we can cultivate a sense of gratitude and contentment. um There are guided meditations that I'll leak for you link for you in the show notes.
00:04:47
Speaker
um But those are another really great way to get centered on the present moment and help you get started on gratitude. Additionally, one of the other things that I want to talk about is one of the simplest, and that is expressing gratitude verbally. It can be a very powerful way to reinforce positive emotions. So take a moment to thank your loved ones, your colleagues, strangers, um and people who have just needed positive impact on your life.
00:05:17
Speaker
Like I shared earlier, my gratitude has helped me grow in my connection with God. And so I'm thanking him every day for the small, the big, all the things in between. um And so verbally expressing that, the act of saying it out loud really helps you to remember, you know, remember the people in your lives and the things that you have. So that's another way that you can practically practice gratitude.
Benefits & Resilience
00:05:41
Speaker
So you have three easy things, right? It's journaling.
00:05:45
Speaker
It's practicing some guided meditations and then also verbally expressing your gratitude. Because this podcast is about mental health, right? I want to connect gratitude and mental health and talk about the and and the impact on your mental health that gratitude can have. There have been several studies that show that practicing gratitude can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety because then we are focused in our mind on the positive instead of dwelling.
00:06:12
Speaker
and ruminating on the negative thoughts and emotions. We are practicing the act of cognitive restructuring. And that sounds like a fancy word, right? ah Fancy phrase, but it's actually just the act of changing your thought process by continuing to do something different. And so by practicing gratitude, you are able to re-regulate your mind and your emotions. And so it's a simple, easy thing for anyone to take on, and I encourage you to do that today. Another thing that gratitude can help us with is building up resilience and coping with challenges more effectively. So by focusing on the good in our lives, even in the difficult times, we can develop a so ah stronger sense of hope and optimism. um Gratitude food is a simple yet powerful practice that I said before can have a profound impact on your well-being. And so by incorporating it into your daily lives, you can
00:07:10
Speaker
increase your happiness, reduce your stress, and improve your overwhelmed mental health. And so I encourage you, whether it's journaling, meditation, or verbally speaking it out, I encourage you to find a way that works best for you. The benefits of gratitude are immeasurable. And I hope that this short episode on gratitude fills your cup today. I thank you for joining me.
00:07:37
Speaker
I hope that each and every one of you listening will take a moment and cultivate more gratitude in your life. Until next time, remember to be grateful for the journey.
Conclusion & Future Engagements
00:07:48
Speaker
Thank you for listening to the Sew Well podcast. I'm your host Autumn Colon. And with that, that is the end of today's episode. I hope you join us next week when we get back to our guest episodes. We are digging into ADHD and anxiety and you don't want to miss it.
00:08:05
Speaker
If you are a mom and you need some support with your mental health, we're launching the Momspace. The Momspace mom chat, our first one of the season is going to be September 19th, 2024. You can find the link to join us in our mom chat conversations in the episode descriptions. See you next week. Bye.