Broadcasts.com - "Mindfulness: Gratitude" (Life is Work)

RESULT: To better understand the concept of gratitude, how it improves our lives, and how to better incorporate it into our lives.
Camnecdote
- Gratitude & health journey

Protein - Main Event - Topic d’jour

Mindfulness: Gratitude
- History of Thanksgiving
  - We are chatting about gratitude with the US Thanksgiving holiday this week
  - Long history that you can dive into & we do want to invite you to do so
    - While there is some record of a shared feast between pilgrims & native people, it is often unclear what actually happened & is used to gloss over the horrific treatment of native peoples
  - Transition from a more historical Christian/religious tradition to secular version of gratitude and family
    - Football
    - Food/family
    - Turkey Trot
- What is gratitude?
  - Expressing appreciation and maintaining a sense of wonder for life and all that it contains
  - Helps to maintain balance in our thoughts and feelings, especially when things are difficult
    - NOT TOXIC POSITIVITY
      - 2 things can be true
  - Helps our mental health
    - Neuroplasticity
      - Discovering new paths on a hike
  - Helps to create connection with the universe and others
- Any challenges?
  - Toxic positivity misunderstanding
    - EX. Bobs Burgers Thanksgiving Tree episode w/ Tina?
  - Misused as a way of justifying trauma/abuse
    - “If you hadn’t gone through that, you wouldn’t have learned”
    - “Think of them as givens, not gifts” - Sharon Salzberg, Real Love - credit to a zen teacher
  - COVID & Holidays
    - It might be difficult to find gratitude during a pandemic and that’s ok. Gratitude is not forced positivity. Mindfulness is noticing what’s in our lives right this moment. If thankful, great! If not, what do you want or need right this moment?
- How to do it well
  - First, observation - NVC
    - What’s happening/what can i document
  - Is there anything going well?
  - If things aren’t going well, are there small moments of bright spots?
    - Teared up when 5 different ppl brought us antibacterial stuff
  - If nothing feels like it’s going well at all, can we try and reframe things?
    - EX: quarantine & work from home balance
    - Telling stories through the lens of love/compassion/care
      - How would i view this story if a friend were telling it to me?
  - Share your story with others
    - loved ones
    - helping professional
    - journaling/reflection
    - meditation

Mel’s Mindful Minute: 37:04

Gratitude Meditation

We Are Always Students

Real Love by Sharon Salzberg
Authors: Jon Kabat Zinn, Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh
Poem: For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feet by Joy Harjo (Mvskoke Nation) (Acknowledge this earth who has cared for you since you were a dream planting itself precisely within your parents’ desire.) WOOF
Thanksgiving:
- Rethinking Thanksgiving: Myths and Misgivings
- Teaching Young Children About Native Americans by Debbie Reese
- Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Jake Swamp (Chief of the Mohawk Nation)

Sharing is Self-Caring

Self-care
- What are you grateful for, right this moment?
Community-care
- How do you show gratitude for those around you? Are there any ways that you would like to improve how you show gratitude?
Systems-care
- Where did we learn what being grateful means?

Reach Out!

lifeisworkpod.com
- Find questions submission link
Insta & Twitter - @ lifeisworkpod
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info@palanteconsulting.com