Welcome to Through the Eyes of Trauma, an inter-agency production where we engage in discussions regarding the impact that childhood trauma has on education, life, and living.
This podcast seeks to help listeners realize the widespread impact of trauma, recognize how it is impacting the students, adults, and families, respond in a way that facilitates healing, and to actively resist re-traumatization.
Join us as we tackle the hard conversations, but give tools and strategies to help you cope and begin your journey towards regulation by healing first and educating always.
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Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Through the Eyes of Trauma with me, Dr. Smith.Today, our show topic is the power of gratitude, shifting perspective for emotional wellness.
Our essential question is how can cultivating gratitude improve mental health and transform the way we approach challenges in life?
Now, we often think of gratitude as simply saying thank you, but what if I told you that practicing gratitude could actually rewire your brain?Yes, I said rewire your brain.Y'all, gratitude can improve your emotional wellness.
and even change the way that you see life's challenges.I know last week we talked about strength in the struggle.We had Derek Smith on talking with us.And so this week I wanted just to deep dive into the transformative topic of gratitude, right?
This episode is about unlocking the power of gratitude as a tool for emotional resilience.So let's explore how embracing gratitude can help us heal and grow even in the face of adversity. I want to talk about some impactful data points.
There are many benefits to practicing gratitude, especially mental health benefits.For one, it can reduce the symptoms of depression.
Now, there was a 2014 study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research that found that gratitude interventions can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by fostering positive emotions.
And I know people use the term depression and they don't use it lightly.Like everybody's depressed these days.
Everybody claims depression, but there are some people out here who are really clinically depressed and have a diagnosis of depression that don't realize that the simple act of gratitude can reduce their symptoms of depression and anxiety.
It also boosts happiness levels. research from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley College showed that practicing gratitude can increase happiness by up to 25%.
And I don't know about you, but a lot of people, especially during the holiday time, emotions are high, high anxiety, high depression, especially if they've lost loved ones.Because when you think about
the holidays, you think about like getting together with loved ones.And so that's a time where you're really missing the people who've you lost either through death or just lost as far as in relationships.
And so if you need that extra boost of happiness levels, you have to start showing gratitude or finding gratitude throughout your day. Practicing gratitude also reduces stress.
A 2021 study in Frontiers in Psychology revealed that gratitude practices are linked to lower levels of cortisol, which is that stress hormone in our body.And so it improves our overall well-being. just by being grateful, right?
By being grateful for the things that you do have, for the people in your life that you have, for the situations or opportunities, I shouldn't say situations, but the opportunities that are available to you, just showing gratitude has all of those mental health benefits for you.
But not only does it just have mental health benefits, but it also has physical health benefits. When you practice gratitude, you have better sleep, right?
People who keep a gratitude journal before bed, they sleep better, they sleep longer, they're able to relax before going to sleep.
And according to a study in applied psychology, health and well-being, people who practice gratitude, they have better sleep hygiene. And also, it improves your heart health, right?
A study in spirituality and clinical practice also showed that gratitude improves heart health, right?
The heart failure patients who practice gratitude had better overall heart health, including lower inflammation levels when in a study that was done in spirituality and clinical practice.
Practicing gratitude also helps with your social and relational benefits.It's proven that you have stronger relationships when you're able to find the good in people, when you're able to find things to be thankful for in a person.
A study in emotion found that people who regularly express gratitude to others experience stronger and healthier relationships.
There's increased empathy, where research published in Personality and Individual Differences found that grateful people are more likely to exhibit pro-social behavior and empathy, which strengthens connections with others.
And so not only do we see the mental health benefits of practicing gratitude, we see the physical health benefits of practicing gratitude. and the social and relational health benefits of practicing gratitude.
But for you educators out there, for students, there is also an educational benefit of practicing gratitude.
Did you know that there is enhanced academic performance when students practice gratitude and they tend to have higher grades and have better focus as gratitude reduces stress and promotes a positive mindset.
their classroom behavior is better because teachers who incorporate gratitude into their classroom report improved student behavior and include better peer interactions and cooperation.
So basically, our key takeaway is that practicing gratitude isn't just about feeling good in the moment.It's a scientifically backed tool.
All of this research that I've just given you is scientifically backed tool that promotes better mental, physical, and social health while improving resilience and relationships.
And so for those of you who are listening are like, okay, so if you want me to practice gratitude, you want me to have gratitude and you're saying that this will improve my life significantly, how do I do that?
And so today I'm going to give you some key strategies for cultivating gratitude. Number one, start a daily gratitude journal.And I know a lot of people hear me say, you know, journaling is good.You get your thoughts out.
You don't have to keep all of those things inside.And that's sometimes when you're practicing just journaling to get heavy things off of your chest or heavy things out of your body, the stress, stressful and anxious things that go on in your day.
But when you practice or when you start a daily gratitude journal, it really is you writing down three things that you're grateful for every day. Start there, right?These don't have to be big things.
It could be small joys like a sunny day or a kind word that was told to you.Those things count just as much as the big things, right?And so make sure that you practice the gratitude journal.If you are an educator or a teacher,
I have a teacher's edition self-care journal on Teachers Pay Teachers, so you can search my story, Dr. Selina Smith, and get it.And trust me, it truly helps to change your perspective on those difficult teacher days when you question everything.
I mean, when you question your lesson, your students' abilities, your ability as a professional, heck, really questioning everything that goes on in your educational field right now. you have those tough days.
And so when you use this Teacher Self-Reflection Gratitude Journal, it really helps you to kind of focus your mind on the positive aspects of your day and the positive aspects of the things that you're being able to create, the learning and the relationships that you're being able to build in your classroom.
So make sure that you start a journal.I once worked with a teacher who felt so overwhelmed by the demands of her classroom.
And so she started a gratitude journal and really focused on moments like a student's smile or a lesson that went well, or observation that went well.And over time, she found herself approaching her work with more positivity
and resilience than having those days, you know, where you go into the teacher's lounge and you plop down and all it is, is you venting, but really it comes out as complaints and finding everything that went wrong that day.
Well, when you focus on gratitude, then you really pulling out the positive things that happened and are able to focus on the things that you're grateful for in the moment, as opposed to all of the negative things that occurred that day.
And number two, reframe negative experiences.So what does that look like?What do I mean when I say reframe negative experiences?Basically, instead of focusing on what's wrong, ask yourself, what lesson can I learn from this?
Because trust me, as sure as I am living, something's going to go wrong, right?You're going to have a negative experience, maybe not every day, but maybe a big one during the week.
But if you look at that negative experience and you ask yourself, what can I learn from this?You know, what good can come about this?Because my dad always says that if something bad happens, you got to think it's working out for your good.
And so thinking through that and changing that negative experience into a positive.I remember hearing a story on the news about a woman who after years of working in her corporate job was kind of blindsided when she unexpectedly was laid off.
And so initially, of course, she felt devastated.She started doubting her abilities in her career, really worrying about her finances and embarrassed to tell her friends and family, you know, that she had been laid off.
She couldn't really see past the overwhelming sense of failure in that moment.But then as the weeks passed, she decided to shift her focus.
And instead of just dwelling on what she had lost, she asked herself, what opportunity might this create for me? And so when you think about it, this reframing led her to rediscover her passion for baking.
At the time, baking was just a hobby, but she had a passion for it.And she turned that hobby that had been long abandoned due to the demands of her corporate job.She turned it into a small business, right?
Selling baked goods at her local farmers markets and over time grew her business into a successful bakery.But when you look back at it, she realized that losing her job wasn't the end.
It really was a pivotal moment that allowed her to follow a dream that she didn't really know she had and to put in that position where it could have looked like a negative experience, but it turned out to be positive.
And so really reframing negative experiences doesn't erase the pain, right, of being let go or whatever the pain is that you experienced from that negative.
event, but it allows us to shift our focus from loss to opportunity by just asking, what can this teach me?Or what door might this open?And when we do that, we empower ourselves to transform struggles into stepping stones for growth.
So make sure that you find gratitude in those negative experiences and then use that to reframe them into opportunities. And next, finding gratitude in times of loss.
I think this is the most difficult because in times of loss, especially the loss of a person, the loss of a loved one, during those challenging seasons, it can feel extremely overwhelming.
when you lose a loved one or when you lose like the story of the lady that I saw on the news, when you lose kind of like an idea of what your life was going to be, how your life was going to be financially because you had this great job, right?
So when you have where your finances are tight, and it's easy to focus on what's missing, right?So she could easily focus on the loss of that income that she had.
But what if instead of dwelling on, you know, the lack, we shifted the focus to what we do have, right?In times of loss.Imagine taking a moment to acknowledge small blessings.
your health, the support of loved ones, or even simple joys like a shared laugh or a quiet moment to yourself.These small acts of gratitude don't erase the challenges, but they can transform how you see them.
By practicing gratitude daily, you create a foundation of hope, and strength and it doesn't magically solve everything.
So I'm not saying that this is a magic pill to solve everything, but it shifts your perspective and it helps you see possibilities where you once saw barriers, right?
Gratitude gives you the resilience to face struggles with courage and clarity because you take that time out to just find the positivity.So in times of loss, or in times of lack, just pause and reflect on the good that still exists around you.
Gratitude isn't about ignoring challenges, it's about finding the light to guide you through them. So now let's talk about finding gratitude in relationships, right?
Cause that can be extremely difficult, especially if your relationships are on trying times, right?There's trying times going on.And so really you just need to express appreciation to those that are around you regularly.
Gratitude in relationships really strengthens your connection with people because relationships can be tough trust.
Maybe you get to noticing like there's tension that's creeping in, disagreements over little things, maybe stress from daily life, or feeling like you and your partner are drifting apart.
It's easy to focus on what's going wrong in the relationship, but what if you shifted your focus to what's going right, right?Take a moment to reflect on what you appreciate about your partner. Think about the little things that they do.
Maybe it's the way that they make you laugh, how they support you when you're stressed, or even small acts of kindness like making your coffee in the morning.And then when you notice those things, tell them about it, right?
Show your gratitude to them.Specifically, I know for me, my husband makes my coffee every morning, and it's the little things.
I know for a fact, regardless of what's going on, if I had a tough night, if I had a tough morning or whatever, I know that this coffee is coming, and I make sure I make a point to say, you didn't have to do this.You didn't have to bring me coffee.
So I always make a point to be like, thank you for bringing me coffee.
And I know sometimes he's like, I don't know why you're thanking me because I bring you coffee every morning, but I want him to know that I appreciate the little things like, and he doesn't have to do this, but it also shows them that you appreciate the role that they play in your life, right?
So when you take the time to express gratitude, even for everyday moments, it can really change the dynamic in your relationship. Instead of focusing on flaws, you start seeing each other through a lens of appreciation.
And this simple practice can rebuild connection and remind you why you value each other so much in the first place.
Gratitude, when you think about it in relationships, is such a powerful tool, because when you focus on what you cherish about your partner and express it regularly, you strengthen your bond and create a foundation for navigating challenges together.
And so when challenges do occur, your bond is so great and so strong that you're able to kind of navigate those waters by doing it together. Another thing you can do is create a gratitude ritual.
And what that looks like is just incorporating gratitude into your daily routines, like saying a quick thank you every morning, like I told you I do after he brings me coffee, or even sharing what you're grateful for during family meals.
I know a lot of times we look at that as just like a Thanksgiving type event, like everybody goes around at the table and talks about what they're thankful for, what they're grateful for.
But what if you incorporate that into your daily meal times, right?Making that gratitude exercise to become a ritual for your family.And I know that, you know, not everybody sits and has dinner together every night, right?
But when you do sit and have, maybe if you are blessed to be able to sit as a family and eat once a week, right?
Having that shared time where you can when speak with each other and talk about one thing that you're grateful for every night Or are they on that at that night at that time of dinner and then over time this small ritual can become the foundation for your emotional wellness as a family and it helps you to stay connected even through tough times and
And so when there's tough times, when there's times when you really don't want to talk to anyone, but you find that one thing or a few things that you're grateful for, it could change the dynamics of the day, right?
It can change the mood of the evening because you're now focusing on the positives and showing that through gratitude. So I hope really that those strategies for practicing gratitude is helpful because especially right now, right?
So much stuff is going on in the world and it's easy to pull out the negative, to pull out the negativity on the news, to pull out the negativity in your day, to pull out the negativity in your relationships.
And so when those times occur, when your mind goes straight to all of the things that are going wrong, I want you to think about what is going right and find ways to tap into the power of gratitude, right?
And to shift your perspective so that your emotional wellness becomes that that is really underlined or cushions with gratitude, right? And with that, I will leave you with the through the eyes of trauma takeaways.
Number one, use gratitude as a healing practice.Gratitude isn't just an emotion.It's not just about saying thank you, but it's a practice that can foster healing and resilience.Number two, shift your perspective.
By reframing challenges through the lens of gratitude, we can discover unexpected growth opportunities.Number three, put gratitude in action.
Simple practices like journaling, expressing thanks, or daily rituals can have a profound impact on our emotional health. And number four, heal first, educate always.
Whether it's educators, parents, or leaders, you prioritize emotional wellness through gratitude, and that will allow you to create spaces where others, and even ourselves, can thrive. Thank you so much for listening to this episode.
Remember, gratitude is more than just the feel good concept.It's a life changing practice.And when we choose to focus on what we have instead of what we lack, we open the door to greater emotional wellness and resilience.
So I challenge you this week, find one way to practice gratitude and notice how it shifts your perspective.Until next time, remember, heal first, educate always.We'll see you next week. you.
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