How can gratitude help you avoid burnout and compassion fatigue?

Gratitude can help you avoid burnout and compassion fatigue by boosting your resilience, balancing your emotions, and strengthening your relationships. It can help you cope with stress, adversity, and trauma by enhancing your optimism, hope, and self-esteem.

Gratitude isn't just a feeling; it's a superpower for the soul. It's not just a fleeting "thank you"; it's a profound recognition and appreciation for the richness that life offers. Across my 26 years as a psychiatrist, I've seen gratitude transform the lives the patients I am privileged to treat. Gratitude is this beautiful act of acknowledging the precious moments, big and small, that weave through our days—a beautiful sunrise, the warmth of a friend's hug, or the simple joy of laughing and enjoying a moment with other. Gratitude isn't always easy, yet it guides us toward hope and resilience. We all possess this ability to be grateful, it's there, just waiting to be unlocked and embraced, nurturing our spirits in the most profound ways

Gratitude is de language of the soul. Switching from mental clutter to living from your heart can be hard, gratitude is a key that facilitates this process. Switching from the mind modus to the heart modus is not easy for a lot of people, gratitude is a powerful tool to get control of this switch.

Gratitude is a lens through which you learn to look at and interact with your environment. It is the recognition of the various factors that contribute to our daily existence, eg the manifold of people and resources involved in us able to enjoy a (nutritious) meal.

Gratitude is a powerful and meaningful emotion that allows us to appreciate the value of the things that matter to us. It is a positive mindset that helps us recognize and acknowledge the blessings and positive aspects of our lives. By cultivating gratitude, we become more aware of the good things around us and develop a positive attitude that enables us to express our thanks to others. Gratitude is an essential aspect of both personal and professional life. It helps us focus on the positive, express our thanks, and build strong connections with others. By cultivating gratitude, we can create a more fulfilling and harmonious work environment.

One thing I have found is the spirit of gratitude confronts the spirit of lack. When acknowledging that you have been blessed by relationships, provision, creativity, rest, challenge, peace, joy and unexpected blessings, you focus less on what you don’t have, have not accomplished and the fear of not having enough. You rather focus on the abundance that you can and are experiencing in the moment.

According to science, gratitude can help 'rewire' our brain and promote positive feelings, and feel more positively about our lives. This includes expression of gratitude for others. In leadership this can be valuable especially when you are navigating major change or difficult, dynamic times. The more you work out your brain through gratitude practices, the better you can navigate challenging times-and not get trapped in negative thinking which our brains naturally gravitate towards. This can also allow us to think outside the box. Furthermore expressing gratitude can be infectious and over time contribute to healthier workplace cultures. It is certainly not the end all be all, but one powerful piece of the puzzle.

Gratitude is extremely powerful but can sometimes be a double-edged sword, depending on how it is used. I have so often heard people say, "I know I should be thankful for everything that I already have. I feel guilty about complaining or being unhappy with my situation". This type of thought process is not helpful in shifting perspective. In such situations, I find that it helps to start small especially when we are feeling overwhelmed. We can focus on a moment of pleasure or a small gesture of kindness and then find a simple way to express gratitude, to ourselves or to someone else. By starting with small steps, practicing gratitude becomes powerful and transformational.

Gratitude helped me being grounded in good moments and nurturing my resilience through tough times. Gratitude is a good routine to have when you feel down or having issues about frustration and long term objectives.

Cuando desarrollamos la costumbre de escribir a diario, por lo que estamos agradecidos, vamos descubriendo que cada día tiene su magia y encanto. Que cada día trae nuevos aprendizajes, alegrías y retos. Esto nos lleva a comprender que mañana es un buen día para seguir construyendo nuestros sueños y que es momento de parar y descansar. Y de esta manera evitamos caer en la trampa del trabajo excesivo. Por otro lado, Cuando sentimos autocompasión, escuchamos más las señales de nuestro cuerpo y mente. Esto nos lleva a no ser demasiado exigentes con nosotros mismos y a ceder el control. Por lo que caer en la fatiga es muy poco probable.

I often work with leaders who have little time-and often scoff at gratitude practices! 1 science based exercise I encourage that they often like: list 5 small things each day they were grateful for, made them happy and so forth. Something that happened to them, or they witnessed - and they cannot repeat any item for a month. Lastly, if the list included a person doing something they appreciated, to try and let that person know. Over time, it gets easier and they observe things they had overlooked. Not only does it help mood as they are more equally focused on negative and positive, but has allowed some leaders craft out of the box solutions to things they would have never thought of before. The big thing is to be consistent.

Gratitude is one of the key rituals I practise and teach for building resilience. As soon as the alarm goes off in the morning, hit stop then take a moment for a few deep breaths and say the gratitude mantra to start the day in an energy of gratitude. At the end of the day when you turn off the light, repeat the process. Also at any point during the day where you feel overwhelmed or fatigued, a few deep breaths and the gratitude mantra will help to get centred.

Gratitude is a compassionate, non-conditional feeling, a letting go of "should" "could" or "would." Cultivating compassion can begin by just shining a light on what's been a source of solace, of joy, of peace, of support, of beauty, just a loving reminder of what's within ourselves, in our current environment, and in our lives that has quietly, loudly, subtly or courageously shown up. Recognizing these little moments/people/situations can bring an organic feeling of inner calm, a gentle tonic for stress. If you find yourself feeling bad for not being grateful for someone or something, bring compassion to yourself for feeling bad, and then remind yourself that you can foster gratitude at any time, there's no deadline.

Gratitude is a great way to start and end the day. Focussing on things you're grateful for in your life first thing of a morning sets you up for a positive day. At night reviewing your day for the things which gave you joy or made you smile sets you up for a good nights sleep. Throughout the day if you find yourself in a funky mood you can refocus on the good parts of life. You don't even have to write them down, just think of them. People in your life you're grateful for, the dog in the park which made you smile, the colours of the leaves on the trees. It doesn't have to be earth shattering stuff and it only take a moment. You can even set an alarm on your phone to remind you to do it.

Pour moi , dès le matin nous pouvons étre dans la gratitude - de nous réveiller en vie, avec un corps qui nous répond, que nous pouvons activer - de pouvoir respirer , aimer - en étant dans l'instant présent la vie est lumineuse et tous les possibles s'offrent à nous . - remercier pour tout ce que la vie nous apporte de beau : amis, nature, ...et l'exprimer - en offrant un sourire gratuit, chaque jour nous contribuons à ensoleiller la vie d'une personne - faire un bilan chaque soir de tous les moments , actions positives de notre vie pour lesquels nous pouvons remercier tout cela contribue à un sommeil paisible et à moins de stress dans la vie courante Ainsi le stress ne peut trouver sa place .

Showing gratitude can be challenging at times, but don't let that stop you. One of the obstacles that can impede gratitude is constantly comparing ourselves to others. Instead, redirect your attention to what truly brings enrichment and fulfillment to your life. Be present and mindful, taking the time to appreciate each moment without constantly rushing to the next one. Stress can often overshadow gratitude, so allow space for reflection through activities like journaling or meditation. Don't be afraid to embrace imperfections; they often hold hidden blessings. And always remember, gratitude is not a destination, but a continuous journey. Start small, be patient and witness the slow but sure growth of gratitude in your life.

Remember to laugh. Be playful and cheerful. Decide that there is nothing that can take away your joy. Consider the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is an ice cream cone. It tastes good. Simple cause and effect. Someone bumps your arm and you drop the cone. Now you're unhappy. Boo-hoo!! What to do, what to do? Happiness is conditional. Conditions change. That's the nature of the world. Ice cream cones can be dropped. Joy, however, is unconditional. Joy is a decision that no matter what, you are going to live in joy. You may get knocked down, depressed, or upset; but you will return to your joy. Choose joy when you're up and when you're down. Joy can lift you over the barriers inside of you that keep you from your best self.

Créer un rituel est le meilleur moyen de la pratiquer même dans les moments les plus difficiles. J’ai moi même fait cet exercice tous les jours même dans les pires moments de ma vie. C’est d’ailleurs en partie grâce à l’exercice des 3 good things que j’ai pu bâtir ma résilience.

Entitlement and fatigue are two of the challenges my Clients typically identify as barriers to gratitude. They don’t lead with these words, but their summaries reveal their truths. I try to impress upon them the truths I maintain for myself, starting with-nothing is promised to me. Remembering this helps me to avoid thinking I deserve anything, or that I’m owed something. Secondly, I acknowledge that I haven’t earned everything that I’ve been given. Somebody along the way has shown me more grace/favor than I’ve deserved. Finally, I remember that I didn’t always have the things I have now. Ultimately , it’s important to acknowledge that I achieve nothing without the support and interdependence of the world around me.

Despite having a meditation practice for years, I've never felt comfortable with the idea of gratitude. The deeper inner work helped me see that my worldview has been focused on the pitfalls in myself and others. This is a common pattern most of us can't detect. Especially if we're positive people who try to stay cheerful and look at the bright side. So resistance to gratitude is actually a test strip that can help you find out how positive you truly are! When you're open yourself up to feeling grateful even when on the surface you seem to be getting shortchanged, something amazing happens. You start seeing the bigger pattern at play which is that things tend to work out just right. Ahhh, you will exhale with a sense of relief.

Find the smallest gratitude practice you can commit to every single day and stick to it. Soon you will notice the difference this makes to you in how you experience yourself and the world around you. Equally if after a while you fall out of practice, you will notice the value this tiny habit brings.

La rituel devient une habitude et cela deviendra aussi naturel que de se laver les dents. Le transmettre aux autres est aussi un’ bon moyen.

Your environment determines quite a bit of efficacy in skill development. If you are trying to be more grateful but are surrounded by negativity and criticism, it won't stick. I encourage you to look at making small environmental changes and putting yourself around people who also make an effort to be grateful in life.

I feel sustaining gratitude long term can be done by creating a "habit of gratitude." This can be successful through consistent practice of mindfulness strategies, repetition, conscious appreciation, and placing focus on developing higher levels of self-awareness.

I believe, making gratitude a habit and weaving it into your daily practice with unrelenting consistency, creates a muscle memory and reflects that help ensure lifelong gratitude perspective

Honestly, most leaders I work with often scoff at gratitude practices. They barely have time to run their companies or teams much less feel they have time to practice gratitude. Once they engage in practices, they realize how helpful it can be. Finding easy, quick science based practices not only helps boost mood but in doing so, that mental clarity can help with finding creative solutions to organizational challenges. If leaders practice gratitude with others around them - well emotions are infectious and can help with company culture. Gratitude is not the end all be all, but definitely a useful piece of the leadership puzzle.

Gratitude is something that can be shared, & in sharing it we can multiply it's blessings & impact. Some examples of sharing gratitude: ➡️Saying your gratitude list out loud:hearing the words spoken can be powerful,even if you say it in an otherwise empty room ➡️Speaking it to someone to tell them about how grateful you are for them or something they did ➡️Giving a (genuine) compliment:I find when I see someone dressed in a way(or doing something)that I admire or brings me joy,& if I tell them it not only makes the gratitude for it/them bigger, but it brings them additional joy and gratitude for the compliment! ➡️Sharing gratitude amplifies the feelings around the gratitude itself & keeps you focused on what you are grateful for longer too!

Gratitude, for me, has been a lifeline in avoiding burnout and compassion fatigue. It's recognizing and appreciating the positives, no matter how small. This mindset shift helped me focus on what's going right, reducing stress and preventing burnout. Daily, I jot down three things I'm grateful for, which keeps me grounded and positive. Overcoming barriers to gratitude involved consciously shifting from a mindset of lack to one of abundance. To sustain gratitude long-term, I regularly reflect on past challenges and how I've grown from them, reinforcing a grateful perspective. This practice has been transformative in maintaining my well-being and resilience.

Être au monde du mieux que l’on peut demande une attention de tous les instants. Et plusieurs attitudes à adopter concomitamment. Gratitude Ouverture Bienveillance Auto compassion Ces 4 là sont des essentielles auxquelles vous pourrez ajouter vos chouchous. Mais suivre une intention qui les adopte Pas à pas Jour après jour C’est déjà s’assurer plus de joie, plus d’apaisement, moins de stress, et une plus grande capacité à prendre soin de soi. Non pas pour se regarder le nombril. Mais pour être mieux avec les autres et avec son environnement. Parce que l’on ne peut bien prendre soin des autres que si l’on a pris bien soin de soi auparavant.

Good stuff Lubna! You might ask your Clients to read Arthur Brooks’ book “From Strength to Strength “. Brooks takes quite a confrontational approach to the different types of intelligence and how most leaders need to learn the second type of intelligence- crystallized intelligence- sooner than they realize because decline in fluid intelligence comes earlier in most than they realize. Wake up call!