Self-care - How do I stop the same old worries about my son from dragging me down?

self-care
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#16

Thank you for asking about the SMART class I’m taking! One new habit it encourages is a daily brief gratitude list, in writing, where you write down 1 to 3 specific things you are grateful for and call to mind the pleasant memories of those things! Such a simple idea, and I find myself thinking “what am I grateful for today?” and looking forward to making the list. It’s a way to get the brain to recognize the many positive experiences in daily life rather than recalling the negative, as survival has conditioned us to do. I have encouraged my son to do the same - pay attention to what he is grateful for, each day.

#17

So great to hear you’re doing this @Julie_Smith! Not only are you recognizing the positive experiences, but you’re also improving your physical health, psychological health, enhancing your empathy, and fostering resilience and mental strength! Science has shown that practicing daily gratitude benefits us in so many ways! I love my gratitude journal as well, keep up the great work :hugs:

#18

That’s awesome @Julie_Smith - thanks for sharing!

Gratitude can be such a powerful practice, even in - maybe, especially in - it’s simplicity. Sometimes when I get stuck, or feel overwhelmed, or worried, etc., a question that brings me back to gratitude is, “What is this teaching me?”

Can I ask, what are you grateful for today?

#19

Hi @katie -

Here are some things I picked out recently: grateful for my health, for the lives of great public figures like Aretha Franklin and John McCain, for my close relationships with my immediate family, for the rain, for the birds in our yard (lately lots of hummingbirds), for my job, for the groups I belong to: Citizens Climate Lobby, Refuge Recovery, and Toastmasters. Also, grateful for my primary care doctor and group in SMART class. I’m grateful for this online forum and my ability to post things that may help other people.

#20

Today’s gratitude - we were able to move the bed for my son’s new apartment and it did not rain at all! (It’s been rainy) and also grateful for the cooler weather.

#21

Ah, so many things to be grateful for! (I love hummingbirds!) Thank you for sharing so generously!

#22