Many people spend a significant amount of time thinking about the past or planning for the future. Practicing gratitude is one way of being present and acknowledging what you already have and can be grateful for in this moment. For those who have a gratitude practice already and for those who are interested in starting, know that gratitude is a strength that can be built. Gratitude can be enhanced with awareness and practice. When beginning a gratitude practice, it might feel easier to notice the big events or milestones in your life, such as marriages, new children or grandchildren, new homes, promotions, college acceptances, etc. Although these milestones are important and worthy of being celebrated, a gratitude practice invites you to consider the small, everyday occurrences that you're grateful for. It can become easier to notice all the good around you when you take a moment to pause and experience life in this very moment. Occurrences such as a warm cup of coffee or tea, a particularly beautiful leaf, the feeling of sunshine on your skin, a warm hug with a loved one, a high five from a student, lighter traffic, spotting a cute puppy in a car, a funny joke, etc. Even on challenging days, there are often small moments where you can express gratitude if you're present to be aware of them. 

As humans, we have a negativity bias, which means that we are predisposed to notice and focus on the negative. This is thought to be an evolutionary response to protect us from danger. However, in everyday life, this means that you are more likely to pay attention to and make decisions based on negative experiences than positive or even neutral experiences. Have you ever had a performance evaluation and received some negative or constructive feedback? Even if the majority of feedback was positive, did you notice yourself hyper-focusing on the negative or constructive feedback that was shared? Perhaps when a loved one asked how your performance evaluation went, you might have even used negative language to describe it and left out the positive feedback that was given. This is a natural tendency and one example of how the negativity bias works. The invitation is to notice when the negativity bias flares up and take steps to respond in a more neutral or positive way.

A gratitude practice is one way to help counteract negativity bias. There have been a number of research studies exploring the effects of gratitude. Gratitude can help improve sleep, strengthen the immune system, and can also strengthen relationships and workplace climate. In general, those with higher levels of gratitude experience greater happiness, more life satisfaction, are less focused on material possessions, and are less likely to experience burnout. Remember that gratitude and challenges can exist at the same time. Practicing gratitude about one aspect of your life does not mean that you ignore hardship or difficulty in another. You can hold space for gratitude while acknowledging any pain or suffering you are experiencing. You don't need to choose one or the other; you can choose both. 

Consider these tips and resources for starting or enhancing your gratitude practice: 

• Write a hand-written letter to a person whom you are particularly grateful to have in your life. Express all their wonderful qualities, and how they have personally affected your life for the better.

• Before bed, write down three good things that happened during your day. Keep this up for two weeks and see what you notice. 

• Carry a stone or other familiar object you like with you. Whenever you see or touch it, pause to think about one thing you are grateful for.

• While on a walk, allow yourself to be fully present and focus on what you hear, smell, see, and feel. Express gratitude silently or out loud, whichever is most comfortable. You can even do this together with a loved one. Check out this guided gratitude walking meditation or search for other guided gratitude walking meditations on YouTube. 

• Write down what you are grateful for on slips of paper and add them to a jar. If you need a pick-me-up, you can take a few notes out of the jar to remind yourself of all that you are grateful for.

• When a favorite holiday comes and goes, it’s natural to experience a range of thoughts and emotions. Check out this Holiday Gratitude Practice from Headspace. Don’t have a Headspace account? Headspace offers free access to K-12 educators and supporting staff professionals. Visit Headspace to learn more.

• Listen to a guided gratitude meditation from the EAP. 

The EAP is excited to share upcoming events available to MCPS employees. Visit the EAP website and scroll down to Upcoming Events to view the calendar and RSVP:

• January 16, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.: Dementia Conversations: Driving, Doctors Visits, and Legal and Financial Planning with the Alzheimer's Association. 

• January 18, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.: 10 Steps to Financial Freedom with the Foundation for Financial Education (F3E).

• February 8, 2024 and March 7, 2024 at 4:30 p.m.: Setting Healthy Boundaries Part 1 and Part 2. PDO Course #92179 for Supporting Staff Professionals (SPT10). 

• February 13, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.: Legacy Planning and Creating Generational Wealth with F3E.

• February 22, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.: Mindfulness: How to Be More Present Part 1. PDO Course #91839 for all employees. 

• February 27, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.: Eldercare Strategies with F3E.