So, what’s next? In our previous newsletter, we looked at the past to find inspiration as we went within and explored some notions of self and practical ways to increase positive thinking and outcomes for you in your everyday life. In this newsletter, we turn back to the notion we opened the year with: Gratitude and take a practical look at what to do over the next 12 weeks. 

A year in, we are still in and out of movement restricting measures including confinements, curfews, lockdowns or some hybrid forms of these. Though the vaccine provides some silver lining, uncertainty is the norm for most of us. With spring in our steps, here are some practical ways of being grateful.

Looking for more inspiration? You may also enjoy reading last year’s edition of getting summer ready during confinement and preparing for your staycations.

The objective – Making gratitude a key part of your training

We opened the year with the notion of gratitude. If gratitude as a key concept is not a concept yet familiar to you, we encourage you to become more acquainted with it. As a team, we will be waiving the practice of gratitude into our challenges and newsletters this year. 

“Gratitude is an emotion that grounds us and is a great way to balance out the negative mindset that uncertainty engenders,” says Dr. Guy Winch, author of Emotional First Aid. When we express gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin — two hormones that make us feel lighter and happier inside. If we want to take care of our minds during this pandemic, understanding how to unlock and integrate gratitude in our daily lives is an important tool to have at our disposal. 

Before you can unlock and embrace gratitude, let us understand why it is so important to do so. We experience gratitude when we shift our focus from what we don’t have to what we do have, and when we take time to appreciate and be thankful for those who have contributed to the abundance in our lives.

Look at your mind the same way you look at your body — what you put in it impacts how it looks and reacts.

When you flood your mind with a constant flow of worry, envy, resentment, and self-criticism (compounded by a barrage of news and other media) it negatively impacts your mental wellbeing. Practicing gratitude is like a workout and a healthy eating plan for your mind.

In his article  Why Gratitude is Good, Dr. Emmons shares, “You can’t feel envious and grateful at the same time. They’re incompatible feelings, because if you’re grateful, you can’t resent someone for owning things you don’t.” He goes on to share that his research found that people with high levels of gratitude have low levels of resentment and envy. When we take time to focus on what we are grateful for, we choose positive over negative emotions; thus we take steps to nurture our mental health and wellbeing.

So, how do we start tapping into and unlocking our inner-gratitude? Simple: we take time to shift our focus.

How to tap into and unlock our inner-gratitude

Here are the key aspects to unlocking gratitude:

Pause and reflect – When you find your self talk leading you into negativity, worry and critical thought cycles, pause, step back, take a deep breath and ask yourself the following questions:

1. What have I learned recently that has helped me grow?
2. What opportunities do I currently have that I am grateful for?
3. What physical abilities do I have but take for granted?
4. What did I see today or over the last month that was beautiful?
5. Who at work am I happy to see or talk to every day and why?
6. Who is a person that I don’t speak to often, but, if I lost them tomorrow, it would be devastating? (Take this as a cue to reach out today!)
7. What am I better at today than I was a year ago?
8. What material object do I use every day that I am thankful for having?
9. What has someone done for me recently that I am grateful for?
10. What are the three things I am grateful for right now?

Build a routine – Our bodies, our minds require work outs. Building a weekly routine will help you keep flows of positive thoughts through extended periods of time. 

Share the love – Share your plan with some loved ones and become stronger together. A good exercise is to add every day to a jar of gratitude and then, every 4 weeks, to share and discuss them with a friend or loved one.

Express unconditional gratitude – One way to do this is to write a handwritten letter each month to a friend or relative. We are overloaded with computers and email, it’s very refreshing and personal to get a handwritten letter. 

Start Journaling your thoughts – This can cougar up work to most. But fear not, though it seems like a lot of work, when done with the right mindset, it can be successful as proven by USC. Watch this video for some ideas.

What do we have in store for you?

From March 1st and for the next 12 weeks, we take you through 3 challenges. During these challenges, we invite participants to leave daily or weekly messages in our virtual gratitude jar.

Blue tiger Eye Wellness Challenges, starting March 1st:

• Week 1-4 – The Hop, Skip and Jump into Spring; it’s not too late to join!! 
• Week 5-8 – The Thor Strength Power Challenge
• Week 9-12 – The Captain Marvel  “Head and Shoulders Above the Rest”

Sign up to our newsletter here or via DM on Instagram @bluetigereye_wellness and get our bi-weekly gratitude tips and tricks to keep you on course. We would love for you to get involved in one of our challenges.

Here’s to rocking ahead in 2021!!