October is the month when the days get dramatically shorter and the weather gets a lot colder. With these changes we can look at things differently and instead of the optimism of the summer, it is replaced with the negativity of autumn. With that in mind our thought for the month is: "One kind word, can make someone's entire day."
By chance an email came in with the following information and we thought we would share:
Start with gratitude
The alarm goes off on Monday morning, and you are thinking about everything you have to do and the little time there is to do it. You start your day by focusing on the things you haven’t done or don’t have. Most of us will do this even before we set foot out of bed.
What if there was a scientifically proven better way to start your day that takes very little time and can be done without any additional cost? Would you take it?
If you said yes, then start your day with gratitude. You can start this first thing in the morning as soon as you open your eyes and state one or two things you are grateful for in your life. Family, house, a job, or even the nice warm cosy bed, just be careful you’re not too grateful that you don’t get out of it!
We can also focus on gratitude by saying what we are grateful for out loud, even to ourselves in the mirror, or my personal favourite is writing it down in a journal. I start every morning by writing five things I’m grateful for currently in my life and then five things I will be grateful for in the future. This part helps me get to my next step: writing down my goal.
Showing gratitude has the following mental health benefits:
- Expressing gratitude can improve your mood.
- Showing gratitude can make you more optimistic.
- Sharing gratitude can improve social bonds.
- Practicing gratitude can improve your physical health.
Check out the following article for more information on the health benefits and practising family:
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2020/05/gratitude
