I recently ran into an Amazon prime video special called "GEM" by Hugh van Cuylenburg, the founder of the Resilience project. It was essentially the same idea as a TedTalk and he was discussing three ways to help find happiness. What I appreciated the most about the special was that rather than talking about a superficial "if I have/accomplish this then" happiness he focused on mental health, recognizing that it is an ever-moving spectrum with a goal to simply be on the upper end of the spectrum more often. He mentioned three concepts which we all probably know may be good for us but we do not always participate in. The three concepts were tied into an acronym GEM standing for gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness. Throughout the next three months we are going to take the time to concentrate on one concept at a time to see if we can derive benefits from incorporating each into our lives.
The first month we will focus on gratitude - focusing on the good stuff and what we already have. Research shows that practicing gratitude results in: improved mood, fewer symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety, higher levels of self-esteem, increased optimism, and enhanced life satisfaction. Now I had a similar theme of the month a few years back and each day we tried to identify 5 things we were grateful for, however Hugh suggests a different approach. Since this can easily become redundant, he instead suggests asking yourself at the end of the day, "What are three things that went well for me today?" This helps us to pay attention to good moments as they happened. He also suggests writing a letter to someone you are grateful for, and if you feel comfortable, hand delivering that note. Both tactics remind us that we are not just doing this for ourselves, but also to become the best version of ourselves for the people in our lives.
The Resilience Project: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/
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