Wellness Moonshot: THANKS can be a word and a way to greater wellbeing

This feature is part of Mindstream’s participation in the Wellness Moonshot, an awareness campaign for a world free of preventable disease that’s led by The Global Wellness Institute. 

Wellness Moonshot for December 2020: THANK

How does a spirit of gratitude and actions of thanks promote wellness?

Research shows such sentiments have impact on our health and wellbeing. “Science teaches us that living and leading with gratitude enhances our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. It helps us to forge positive relationships with others, as well as ourselves. And, it uplifts our work experience and the culture of our organizations,” Renee Moorefield, Ph.D., writes on the Global Wellness Institute’s blog this month. She prompts us to think about thankfulness as a way of being and an act of doing.

The benefits extend to the workplace and work relationships, too. A recent article in the Harvard Business Review points to several studies proving that gratitude does “improve relationships, enhance feelings of support, and increase prosocial behavior.” The authors of that story are researchers at the University of South Florida who undertook research on the benefits of writing a gratitude journal. “When we analyzed the data, we found that the gratitude journaling worked to decrease workplace rudeness by enhancing participants’ self-control,” they report, and offer some take-aways for managers and organisations.

THOUGHTS ON THE THEME

To say “thank you” is so powerful because [it means] something good has happened to me — either in the past or just now. When I say it, I mean it and it is very precious to me. Saying it out loud and looking someone in the eyes makes it real.
– Regina Schneider, massage therapist and instructor, Baltimore

I find myself giving thanks for the smallest thing, the fresh air when I go for a walk or the sight of the hills from my window. I am more aware and thankful for the little things to appreciate each day because of COVID-19.
– Louise Kelly, Edinburgh

I have a friend who very deliberately says, “You’re welcome.” It boosts my feel-good vibes! It makes me feel that she really cares and that I’m lucky to be friends with such a nice, sincere, thoughtful person. This may not seem unusual, but it is. Listen for it. Sara makes such a point of acknowledging my (and everyones’) “thank you,” that it made me aware of my own use of this phrase and what that reply means to both parties. In the two seconds she takes to stop the flow of conversation, she is recognising and receiving my goodwill. This is rare today, as we’re usually in too much of a rush to acknowledge someone’s thanks, or we dismiss it with a quick “no prob,” “no worries, “it’s nothing.” Actually, it IS something. When someone does or says something that warrants a kind word of appreciation, saying, “You’re welcome,” really communicates that that person is giving authentically, freely and warmly. Sara’s habit has influenced me: Now I make a point of slowing down to say, “You’re welcome,” with meaning, and I’m also much more thoughtful about the thank-yous I give. I don’t just throw them out there, now my words are truly loaded. Thank you, Sara! 
– Liza Horan, Editor, MindstreamConnect.com

Please comment below with your reflections — thank you!

Learn more about The Wellness Moonshot on GlobalWellnessInstitute.com.

Image courtesy Global Wellness Institute.

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