With the sun shining and the flowers blooming, it is only natural for us to desire to be out in nature moving, exploring, and connecting with others. Like the seasons of the past, we can sense the familiarity and joys of the springtime. However, unlike before, we unable to engage in our usual traditions and celebrations of the season or, if we do, it requires a significant degree of conscious thought and planning. The good news is that we are learning that we are more resilient than we thought and capable of adapting in the most trying times, even if we are living our lives in a less preferred way.
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Have you ever stopped to think about how many roles you play in your life? Roles within your personal life and also in the professional realm? Perhaps you are a daughter, sister, granddaughter, wife, mother, aunt… or a son, brother, grandson, husband, father, uncle, cousin… friend, godparent, and the list goes on... And that’s just in your personal life. What about a work? Most of us have jobs where we play multiple roles each day. For instance, not long ago, I was a hospital clinician, a researcher on an NIH funded study, and a supervisor to clinical psychology doctoral students doing their practicum training at just one job! With each role we play comes a different list of duties and responsibilities. How do we find balance in juggling these multiple roles?
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Many folks create a list of New Year’s Resolutions, aimed at addressing the guilt, surfeit, and over-indulgence of the holiday season. One sees the results in increased gym memberships, the purchase of sports equipment, a run on self-help books, and planners that include personal, emotional and professional goals. Most resolutions last about two weeks (for the die-hards, about a month) before motivation is extinguished because life got in the way. This is frequently going to happen. Do you recall your resolutions from last year, and did you accomplish them? That’s what I thought, and, same here.
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In searching for information on the ways that gratitude enhances well-being, I discovered a comprehensive and interesting article titled, The Benefits of Gratitude: 28 Questions Answered Thanks to Gratitude, The author, Courtney Ackerman, lists 5 domains affected positively by gratitude. I have devoted a paragraph to each. It becomes apparent that cultivating this attitude benefits not only the individual, but also expands to all one comes into contact with.
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