We’re grateful – all year long – for all the ways our generous, caring Host Home Providers and Family Caregivers help the Individuals we serve to thrive. In that light, we’d like to share some Thanksgiving craft projects, designed for adults with disabilities, that you can enjoy together. And, since it’s the season of gratitude, we also want to share a few ways you can bring more of it into your life on a regular basis!
It is commonly known, and you’ve likely experienced, that gratitude encourages us to focus on the positive and helps us feel better. But it’s not just a feeling!
Numerous studies have found that having a grateful outlook, counting one’s blessings, and expressing gratitude to others can have positive effects on our emotional health, interpersonal relationships, and even physical health. It can change our attitude and make us kinder to ourselves and others.
Gratitude is the emotion that results when we acknowledge the good things in our lives. It sometimes includes the recognition that something outside us – such as other people or higher powers – are at least partially responsible for those good things. It may be something as simple – but powerful – as someone being kind to us. Gratitude can be especially helpful in difficult times.
Some psychologists assert that feeling grateful is only partially responsible for the benefits of gratitude, and that expressing gratitude is equally important. Thanks can be conveyed verbally or in writing. Interestingly, even witnessing an expression of gratitude can improve well-being.
Studies reveal that practicing and expressing gratitude can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, increase self-esteem, and improve satisfaction in daily life. It can bring people closer and improve personal, work, and casual relationships. It has been found to decrease depression, improve sleep, and even lower blood pressure.
Experts suggest making gratitude a part of daily living, perhaps finding a place for it in your routine – first thing in the morning, just before bed, at the dinner table, or while your computer is booting up. It doesn’t have to take a long time, just a few minutes once a day can set your attitude to focus on abundance – what’s good, what you can do, what you have. They also suggest that you write down what you are grateful for and be specific. Writing means slowing down enough to really contemplate what is good in your life and putting it on paper reinforces the thought. It also allows you to go back later and remind yourself of all you have to be grateful for.
Get creative about recording what you’re grateful for. Make it a seasonal craft project that includes everyone in your household. Create a gratitude jar using any jar, sized as you choose, personalized and decorated. Write each grateful thought on a small piece of paper and collect them in the jar. Or create a gratitude journal – ideas for which you’ll find as the first Thanksgiving craft project – in which to pen your grateful contemplations.
Count your blessings, give and receive, know how much you are appreciated, and live with an attitude of gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving!
