Gratitude - One

“Adding Life to Years” Dr. Larry Weiss Center for Healthy Aging

Gratitude: One Avenue to a Healthy Life

Thanksgiving is in November and it is be a shortage of toilet paper or food? As time continued into the time of year to give thanks. Un- April, dealing with coronavirus anxiety was a major topic of fortunately, our world is experiencing conversation, as people faced the fear of the disease as well major traumas with COVID-19, hurricanes, as economic hardships from the first waves of job losses. Half floods, fires, and senseless shootings. How a year later, emotions like depression, grief, and hopelesscan we be thankful with all this death and ness have also crept in, particularly as more and more people destruction? We hear a lot about how to have lost loved ones to the virus. And, COVID is taking place cope. But most of us want to do more than in the context of everything else going on in the country and

Larry Weiss cope, we want to be happy, find meaning, the world. We’ve seen the brutal killings of George Floyd and and connect with others. Here some practices that might help. other unarmed black men and women, once again exposing Gratitude starts with noticing the goodness in life. Cynicism the ongoing systemic racism in our society. We’ve witnessed and narcissism are similarly thieves of gratitude. In fact, the widespread fires in the Western United States. And, in the cultivation of gratitude may be at least a partial remedy for midst of it all, we face an unprecedented presidential election. narcissism. People who are grateful are less stressed, less de- What we know empirically is, if you are more grateful as a perpressed, and more satisfied with their relationships. Gratitude son, you do better. Your physical health is better, your mental has been said to have one of the strongest links with mental health is better, you’re more resilient to stress. health of any character trait. Numerous studies suggest that Having gratitude is easier said than done. Given the turmoil grateful people are more likely to have higher levels of happi- in our world, it’s natural to focus on the many negatives ness and lower levels of stress and depression. around us. It’s important to notice the pain in our world and in In the earliest stages of the pandemic, people had urgent our own lives so we can take steps to fix it. The more compaspractical questions: Would grocery stores be open? Will there sionate and empathic a person is, the less lonely they feel as they grow older. Life satisfaction, empathy, compassion, feeling less lonely, more connected to others, and gratitude are all positive emotions that may all be linked to one area of the brain, the prefrontal cortex. Therefore, one emotion effects the others. Given all the tragedy and uncertainty of our times, the CDC has published guidelines on how to cope, running the gamut from taking media breaks and getting plenty of sleep, to exercising and eating right. Coping is important, of course, but most of us want to do more than cope—we want to find some sense of happiness, meaning, or social connection in our lives. People who are grateful feel less pain, less stress, suffer insomnia less, have stronger immune systems, experience healthier relationships, and do better academically and professionally. Overall, gratitude can boost your mental and physical health. (Gratitude page 9)

Brokers / from page 7 When choosing a Medicare Broker to work with, make sure that broker is available to help provide support even after you have enrolled in the Medicare plan that’s best for you. The best Medicare Brokers are there to continually help you navigate the complex health insurance system.

About the author: CJ Bawden has spent the last decade working in the insurance industry and is a Medicare expert. As the Director of Government Programs for Hometown Health, CJ Bawden is responsible for the company’s 4 Star Medicare Advantage Plan, Senior Care Plus. You can contact CJ at 775082-3100.

Gratitude / from page 8 How do you practice gratitude? One dramatic approach is to be specific when expressing thanks to another person. Instead of simply nodding and saying thank you, a better way involves three simple yet powerful steps. First, describe what the person did, trying to be as detailed as possible. Second, acknowledge the effort it took them to do it. And third, describe specifically how what they did touched or benefited you. During the COVID pandemic, many people have fallen into a habit of self-criticism. Whether you’re beating yourself up for getting frustrated with masks, grouching at your partner or spouse because of too much togetherness, struggling in your work, or any number of other things, it has been suggested to practice self-compassion. Self-compassion means directing toward yourself the same supportive and nurturing stance that you might direct toward somebody you were trying to support. Many people believe that, by engaging in self-criticism, they’re helping themselves improve or accomplish their goals. But the research shows just the opposite: People are more effective when they’re able to be kinder to themselves. Self-compassion may not only help you feel better, but it may also set you up to take constructive action and practice gratitude. One of the best ways of doing this is to write. First, take out a sheet of paper and write down what you’re criticizing yourself about, honestly describing how it makes you feel. Once you’ve gotten your self-critical feelings on paper, switch gears. Take the next ten or fifteen minutes to write a letter expressing compassion and acceptance toward the part of yourself you dislike. Consider what a close friend who loves you unconditionally might say. Remind yourself that nobody is perfect. Consider that you’re doing the best you can given the current circumstances and factors such as your childhood experiences or the environment you grew up in. Finally, in the most compassionate way possible, ask yourself whether there are things you could do to improve or better cope. Instead of making yourself feel badly for being imperfect (given that all of us are imperfect), consider what steps you could take to help you feel happier, healthier, or improve the situation in some way. During the COVID pandemic, taking a walk is one of the safer activities we can engage in outside our homes. Moreover, it’s good for our physical health. Luckily, taking a walk is also one of the best ways to brighten our days. The practice is simple: Each day for a week, take a 20-minute walk by yourself. On a normal walk, you might be in your head, planning what you’ll do tomorrow or considering what happened yesterday. In contrast, on your “grateful” walk, try to consciously look around, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. Notice as many positive things as you can. Under normal circumstances, you might not have noticed how the sun, shining through the trees, casts complex and beautiful shadows on the ground. But, during this type of walk, you will identify what brings you pleasure or joy. If you practice these simple approaches to gratitude you will “add life to years”. Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D. is CEO of the Center for Healthy Aging. Dr. Weiss welcomes your comments on this column. Write to him at Larryjweiss@gmail.com or c/o Center for Healthy Aging, 11 Fillmore Way, Reno, NV 89519.