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‘Tis the season to be .... Grateful

Category: Happiness

‘Tis the season to be .... Grateful

Posted by Shruti Bose on 11-Dec-2020 10:45:00

The lights are up on Orchard Road, festive songs playing in the background and people milling about. But if you look closely you can see, everyone is still wearing masks and maintaining appropriate distance.

While past years saw these festivities in abundant display, the current pandemic has created a somber mood throughout the world. Yet, we have much to be grateful for, safely ensconced in Singapore which has managed to keep the virus under control.

Gratitude, as I recently read, can be a mood elevator. This was quite a revelation to me but as I dug deeper I found there are many studies that back up the importance of gratitude on psychological well-being.
Interestingly, the word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness.

Pre-pandemic, I didn’t necessarily make a conscious effort or recognize the benefit of mindful and thankful living. Life was busy, as was the case for most people.  However, as Robert A. Emmons, a Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, puts it into perspective in his book where he says this: “Living gratefully begins with affirming the good and recognizing its sources. It is the understanding that life owes me nothing and all the good I have is a gift, accompanied by an awareness that nothing can be taken for granted.”

As we’ve seen this year, lockdowns, being away from family or having limited social interactions with friends and colleagues can all have an impact on our stress levels. There’s no doubt, 2020 has been a tough year for most people around the world.  Trying to find the small things that count, has been helpful for me.  My grandmother always said, “If you count your wealth, you can only count money; if you count the number of friends, you only count people, but if you count with gratitude, your riches are unlimited.”

As this year draws to a close, if you are surrounded by loved ones, have your health and happiness, perhaps, as recent times, have shown us, there is enough to be grateful for.

ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3010965/

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of St. John's Home for Elderly Persons.

St John's Home for Elderly Persons is not a government-subvented Home and depend largely on the public's generosity to enable us to continue our work as a Registered Charity.

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Topics: Happiness