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Practicing Gratitude To Improve Your Well-Being

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Everyday is a new day, and each day always comes with a hurdle of obstacles and challenges. Whether it’s waking up to go to work everyday, or tackling your own objectives for personal fulfillment, these tasks all require some form of motivation in order to complete them.

For some, these challenges are easy tasks that can be completed with proper discipline. Perhaps you may have already established a routine that works with your lifestyle, which may make it easier to get on with the day. But sometimes, an old routine can easily get repetitive.

Perhaps you may be familiar with that feeling of moving through the motions. That feeling where you are present, but your mind and body may not be aligned as you probably feel that there is a disconnect to what you are doing.

The reality is, it’s impossible to always feel like you have everything under control. Despite that, it’s a totally normal thing to go through and it’s times like these which may encourage you to look back at other things to help you stay on the right path.

Now that it is October, the end of 2021 is coming up, and this may come off as a stressful time for some due to the quickly approaching holiday season. As the seasons change, it can be overwhelming for some as it could also be due to time moving too quickly.

Maybe it’s time for a new routine, or maybe you would like to take up a new activity to improve your health. Regardless of the challenges that you face daily, it is important to take a step back from obsessing over your goals, and to slow down to prevent yourself from being burned out.

While you take the time to slow down, there is one important thing that many individuals can focus on to improve their well-being: gratitude.

The Importance of Gratitude

With a busy schedule, it can be hard to take a step back. You may know the feeling of constantly waking up every week with the same tasks to do everyday. And while this may be your norm, it is best to not get stuck in this cycle as it can leave you feeling stuck.

Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful. In the context of well-being, gratitude can be used to help individuals better understand the things that they already possess to help them feel more motivated and appreciative of the lifestyle that they have.

Think of it this way. You may have a weekly routine that you have already established, but perhaps you should frame it in a way that makes you feel grateful that you have a routine. By having a routine, you have mustered up enough discipline to stay focused on maintaining that routine, which in turn can help in achieving your goals.

But what is more important is to focus on the intangible things that you have with you everyday, that you may always seem to overlook. In this case, focus on your health, and how you may be in good spirits. Expressing gratitude even for these little things can do wonders for your health, as shared by an article in Forbes which discusses the importance and benefits that gratitude can have.

Psychologically speaking, the act of gratitude alone can help in making you feel more happy, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Taking the time to be appreciative of what you have can be effective in preventing that tireless feeling if you ever start to feel like everything you are doing is repetitive and mundane.

4 Virtual Seminars That Foster Gratitude

While practicing gratitude may be easy to do, there are plenty of exercises and challenges that you can take to encourage you to be more appreciative of what you have. At Well Street, we have a rich selection of virtual corporate wellness programs and seminars to encourage individuals to more openly express their gratitude to improve their well-being.

Consider these four seminars that touch on gratitude in the perspective of healthy well-being.

Our “Mindfulness: Focused, Calm, Grounded” seminar is intended to make individuals tap into the mindfulness that they already possess to tackle stress and anxiety. A part of mindfulness is to understand the emotions that you have and to take control of them. Having a deep understanding of what you have is deeply rooted with gratitude, as gratitude is all about appreciating what you have, and the things that you may be able to control.

Now with our “Immune Warrior: Building a Strong Defense” seminar, this provides insight on the ways that individuals can better protect themselves during the colder seasons. This seminar helps individuals understand the key ways to improve their immune system. But beyond that, the element of gratitude that is present in this seminar is to remind everyone of the health that they have, and to be grateful for it to better take care of one’s self.

“Mental Health: Cultivating a State of Mental Wellness” is a seminar that taps into the understanding that it is OK to not feel OK. Mental health is just as important as our physical health, but having a better grasp of how to cope when experiencing mental health challenges can be beneficial for your well-being. In addition to this, this seminar also teaches individuals how they should be grateful for not just their physical health, but also their mental health.

Lastly, our “Be Well Naturally: Stay Healthy & Prevent Disease” seminar discusses the components to every part of your body that make up the overall wellness that you collectively have. From eating healthy to sleeping well, these little tasks that you do everyday are things that you should be grateful for, as they are actively contributing to benefit your health.

About Well Street

At Well Street, we are founded on the principles of introducing healthy practices to the workplace, which encompasses both mental and physical health. Comprised of medical professionals who have a background in naturopathy, we aim to help organizations foster a healthy corporate environment in order to boost productivity and morale.

If you would like to learn more about how our team can help you or your company, consider contacting us to find out more. We are happy to provide you with guidelines and approaches to support the wellbeing of your team members through virtual seminars and programs.

Spring Cleaning to Enhance Your Overall Wellness

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Winter has officially come to an end! The warmer weather is slowly starting to linger throughout Canada. With the beginning of April, the days are getting longer and spring is finally in full swing.

For many, this past winter likely felt like one of the longest winters to endure given how the COVID-19 pandemic has now lasted for an entire season cycle. Since the pandemic started last year in March, it has been a difficult obstacle for many Canadians who have had to abruptly change their daily routines to follow the restricted guidelines that have been imposed to prevent the spread of the virus.

In the previous blog, we briefly explored how the mental health of Canadians have significantly suffered as a result of the pandemic. As a result, staying motivated during these unprecedented times has been difficult for everyone. From students to employees, the decrease of physical face-to-face interaction has made the majority of Canadians feel more lonely and isolated, as found by a poll conducted by Ipsos last year.

While the majority of Canadians are still waiting for their COVID-19 vaccines, it is important to take this time now to practice some self-care to keep yourself motivated during these times.

April means that we are now one-third of the way complete with 2021, and with a new season, it may be a good idea to do some spring cleaning. This doesn’t just mean doing a thorough cleaning of your closet or your room, but actually taking the time to unpack and unlearn some of your current habits that may not be doing you any good.

Spring cleaning to address certain behaviours and can be beneficial in giving you a much needed refresh just in time for the new season.

Decluttering Your Physical and Mental Space

Spring cleaning can often give you the satisfaction of starting brand new by removing things that no longer add any value to your lifestyle. Carolyn Rodriguez, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, tells Yahoo! Finance that the pandemic has caused many to mix work with home, and creating a boundary that distinguishes one from the other is beneficial in helping people become more productive and motivated.

The way to achieve this separation of work from home is to follow a spring cleaning procedure that aims to declutter both your physical and mental space. In other words, it is organizing the place where you physically live to work and play, as well as reassessing your mind by taking a closer look at the behaviours you partake in which influences your current habits.

Below, we will explore the importance of clearing your physical and mental space to improve your overall wellness.

Your Physical Space

In the past year, many people have become more mindful of the physical space they live in. Because of the pandemic, many have probably taken upon DIY initiatives to tidy up their home office spaces or improve anything else in their residence. With the absence of having to go to an office, it has become important for many to create a working space that allows them to work comfortably.

But did you know that the physical space that you live in can actually affect your mood? According to the American Psychological Association, the spaces that we live in can influence our mood and well-being, as discussed in a podcast episode that explored the psychology of design.

There are many components that affect the overall atmosphere of a room – from lighting to furniture, all of these parts are important. As a matter of fact, even the wall colour of a room can influence the mood of people according to an article from HGTV which looked at the psychology of colour.

In the context of spring cleaning, understanding that the physical space you live in can affect your mood and behaviour is important to know as it could be the factor that may be hindering your motivation. It is important to remember that even the littlest things like keeping your room clean or cleaning out your closet can give you a sense of satisfaction which is also tied to your mental well-being.

Your Mental Space

While doing spring cleaning to keep your physical space tidy is important, you should also prioritize decluttering your mental space to help you stay more focused on your goals. For many, they may not be aware of their own bad habits because these tendencies can often be swept away as a one-off behaviour while not knowing that it has become a recurring behaviour.

For example, how do you react when you feel stressed? Do you let your emotions get to you? Remember that moderation is key, but if stress is causing you to participate in something that may not be good for you physically, emotionally or mentally, then it may be time to stop and think and perhaps address these bad habits with a spring cleaning aimed towards cleansing your unhealthy mentalities.

Decluttering your mind is a great way to gain mental clarity. In an article published in Harvard Medical School, it noted that spring cleaning with the purpose of decluttering the mind is beneficial for one’s health. This is due to the fact that some people may use this as an opportunity to take upon healthy habits such as healthier eating or building resilience.

Additionally, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) also further emphasized that spring cleaning is a great way to remember to take care of one’s self. Especially during the pandemic, self-care has never been more important due to the isolation that many are facing. Taking the time to declutter your mental space is a good way to refresh your mind and focus on the goals you have set to better yourself.

Spring Cleaning With Well Street

Now that spring has sprung, perhaps you or your company may be looking to do some of your own spring cleaning to clear your mental spaces and regain some motivation. Well Street offers a wide selection of programs and seminars and we can help you or your company adopt healthier practices to support the overall well-being of yourself or others.

At Well Street, we are founded on the principles of introducing healthy practices to the workplace, which encompasses both mental and physical health. Comprised of medical professionals who have a background in naturopathy, we aim to help organizations foster a healthy corporate environment in order to boost productivity and morale.

If you would like to learn more about how our team can help you or your company, consider contacting us to find out more. We are happy to provide you with guidelines and approaches to support the wellbeing of your team members through virtual seminars and programs.