Health First’s DeAnn Collins: World Gratitude Day Is Sept. 21, Have You Been Practicing?

"Imagine clinging to goodness the way we too often dwell on hardships," Collins says.

September 11, 2023

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WORLD GRATITUDE DAY is Sept. 21, the penultimate day of summer. Gratitude can be a mindfulness practice, and it has been correlated with increases in happiness and well-being, even improved sleep and fewer visits to doctors.

 

Whether religiously observant or not, gratitude is an important practice. DeAnn Collins, Behavioral Services Clinical Manager, Health First’s Behavioral Wellness, recently penned a consideration of gratitude as a meditative practice for Space Coast Daily.

"What do I mean by gratitude? I mean intentionally considering good things in your life, acknowledging them as both positive factors – and substantial. Another part is, crediting external factors when credit is due," she writes.

"I’m here to tell you gratitude should be a regular pattern of thought. If you have to make time for it, practice it, so do I!"

She ends with a list of five ways to get started. "The intention here isn’t to do all five like checking boxes but to incorporate one, then two, then three, and see where you’re at."

  • Make time. Pick a time each day to visualize what’s good in your life, what’s going well, what you’re grateful for. It’s important to “schedule it.” 
  • Write it out. For many, a gratitude journal is the best way to immerse yourself and really focus on exploring your mind. There are lots of dedicated gratitude journals for sale online and at bookstores. 
  • Thank someone. This is bigger than thanking someone who holds a door open for you. This is more like, a family member who has inspired you, a friend who has stood by you. Expressing deep thanks to another has absolutely magical and untold benefits.
  • Consider volunteering. You might be thinking, “Wait, in which direction is the gratitude flowing here?” But volunteering is an exploration of gratitude through service, and the immediate and lasting benefits are consistently beneficial.
  • Savor it, remember it. After trying one or two of these, consider a spontaneous gratitude practice. Be vigilant about good times, good news and good luck when it happens. Take a deep breath, and hold onto the feeling for a beat or two. Later, try to remember it.

READ the full story in Space Coast Daily HERE.