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Taking time off through New Years, I was looking forward to some planned ‘down time.’ Be careful what you wish for!
I have been home with a bug since before the holiday. Generally, I am in very good health, but a lingering cold put a damper on my holiday plans and festivities. I sit at home today, enjoying a cup of hot tea, with honey, lemon and ginger. My Reiki Teacher, Hyakuten Sensei, a Buddhist monk from Kyoto Japan teaches that – “A cup of tea. A cup of enlightenment.” Hopefully, along with enlightenment comes a cure for this cold! 😉 
The message on my Yogi tea bag (each bad has a written positive saying or quote), gives me pause to reflect – “An attitude of gratitude brings opportunities.”
‘End of Year’ Accounting. 2019 is nearly over and I find myself making time for a retrospective accounting of the year. Not the financial kind that the IRS is looking for, but the psycho-spiritual kind, making note of that which has fed my heart, nourished my spirit, and brought Joy.
New experiences and adventures, meeting new people, exploring various cultures, and learning … all bring me joy. They also bring opportunity to gather new information and skills to share with students and clients. Their positive feedback and improved results is what brings me joy. Do what you love. Love what you do. Seeing their smiling faces after sessions, hearing their reports of “feeling better,” “more hopeful,” learning of their positive changes, hearing their expressed gratitude …, makes my work Joyful.
Gratitude is a two-way street. Whether we give or receive, there is Gratitude.
Developing a Daily ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is Good for Your Health.
While we often think to express gratitude at Thanksgiving, cultivating a daily sense of gratitude can improve your health and happiness. Research has shown that a sense of gratitude can improve your: self-esteem, sleep, relationships, empathy, physical and psychological health, resiliency and overall satisfaction with life.
My Role Model for Gratitude – I credit my grandmother with my deep sense of gratitude. A woman of great strength but few material possession, she expressed gratitude in prayer and practice daily. In the almost 24 years I had to privilege to know her, I never heard her express one negative thought or unkind word. Who is your role model for gratitude?
What are you grateful for today? Keeping a daily gratitude journal can help you focus on the positives in your life. Simply write one or two things. Contact me if you’re not sure where to begin. One suggestion I put in almost all of my hypnosis sessions is – “Each time I see the color of the sky, I relax … and feel happy.” Gratitude can be as simple as that.
Today I am especially grateful for my husband, family, friends and neighbors and their good health. I am grateful for work that I love so much it doesn’t feel like ‘work.’ I am grateful to live on Cape Ann, deeply aware of and grateful for the beauty of nature that we are gifted with every day.
Happy Thanksgiving! ~ Karen Pischke BSN, RN
Recommended Reading: Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach
Your Bridge to Health; Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit
Karen Pischke BSN, RN, CCRN Alumnus, Author, Speaker, Nurse Researcher, Certified Hypnotherapist, Tobacco Treatment Specialist, Usui Reiki Teacher/Komyo Shihan. Owner/Founder of Dreamtime Wellness LLC. Your Bridge to Health. Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit. Karen is a registered nurse with a background in critical care nursing, cardiac rehabilitation and risk factor reduction, wellness and integrative healthcare. Incorporating a collaborative, integrative approach, Karen strives to educate and provide evidence-based services and self-care tools that improve health, happiness and wellbeing. www.DreamtimeWellness.com. Find us on Instagram and Facebook
Disclaimer: This blog provides general information and discussion about health and related subjects. The words and other content provided in this blog, and in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. If the reader or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately licensed physician or other health care worker. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. The views expressed on this blog and website have no relation to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other institution with which the authors are affiliated.
Promoting Optimal Wellness for Body, Mind and Spirit
grat·i·tude ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/
A Sense of Gratitude Improves Your Health
Studies on gratitude support an association between gratitude and a sense of well being. One study by Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, leaders in the field of research on gratitude showed that after keeping a ‘gratitude journal for 10 weeks, people were
Practicing Gratitude Enhances Relationships
In one study, individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner felt more positive toward the other person and felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.
Expressing Gratitude to Employees Motivates Them
People want to feel that they are doing a good job and are members of a team. The best way to promote teamwork and motivate employees is to treat staff as valued members of the team.
10 Ways to Practice Gratitude:
Sources and More Information –
Digdon, N and Koble, A. Effects of Constructive Worry, Imagery Distraction, and Gratitude Interventions on Sleep Quality: A Pilot Trial. July 2011. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Vol 3. No 2. pages 193–206
Emmons RA, et al. “Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology(Feb. 2003): Vol. 84, No. 2, pp. 377–89.
Grant AM, et al. “A Little Thanks Goes a Long Way: Explaining Why Gratitude Expressions Motivate Prosocial Behavior,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (June 2010): Vol. 98, No. 6, pp. 946–55.
Lambert NM, et al. “Expressing Gratitude to a Partner Leads to More Relationship Maintenance Behavior,” Emotion (Feb. 2011): Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 52–60.
Layous, K, et al. Delivering Happiness: Translating Positive Psychology Intervention Research for Treating Major and Minor Depressive Disorders. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2011; 17 (8): 675
Roberts, H. (2005). Creating motivation, identifying incentives and enablers, and encouraging staff development. Community Eye Health, 18(56), 122–124
Sansone RA, et al. “Gratitude and Well Being: The Benefits of Appreciation,” Psychiatry (Nov. 2010): Vol. 7, No. 11, pp. 18–22.
Seligman MEP, et al. “Empirical Validation of Interventions,” American Psychologist (July–Aug. 2005): Vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 410–21.
How to Keep a Daily Gratitude Journal– Write ‘3 things to be Grateful for’ Daily. Do this for 21 days and it becomes a habit.
Here are my ‘3 things to be grateful for today,’ –
1) I am Grateful for the Beauty of Last Night’s Full Moonrise Over the Ocean. (2) I am Grateful for Today’s Sunshine. (3) I am Grateful to Have Work That Brings Me Joy.
Easier to Feel Grateful When Living on Cape Ann. ~ Happy Thanksgiving. Karen
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