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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Giving Thanks to Gratitude

By Jenna Richardson  

Every year at Thanksgiving, we are reminded to acknowledge the goodness in our lives—the people and moments for which we are most grateful. It’s a wonderful tradition that sets the tone for a meaningful and authentic holiday season. Why stop there? Gratitude should be a daily practice, not just an annual ritual. It’s good for our spirits. It’s essential to our health. 

How many times have you said to yourself, “I will be happy once I … finish this assignment, lose five pounds, find a boyfriend, move to a new city, travel more, work less, get a new job” or any other dream or goal you have? Once you achieve that goal, do you find yourself satisfied, or chasing after the next one? 

We are driven to pursue new challenges and experiences. It’s how we succeed and grow in so many ways. Yet we can’t be truly happy until we also learn to appreciate the now—and to embrace feelings of gratitude. Instead of thinking about all the things you don’t have in your life, take time every day to celebrate what you do have. It’s such a simple concept. Why not give it a try? 

Write down the five things for which you are most grateful at this exact moment. Before you read another word, write them down. Before you answer another email, write them down. Before you let the weight of the daily grind consume your spirit, write them down. Do you notice a change, even a subtle shift, in your physical and emotional well-being? 

Feelings of gratitude can improve your mood, boost your immune system, release feel-good hormones, help you sleep at night, and reduce your blood pressure. They might even make you a nicer person! 

Many studies have shown that a daily gratitude practice can also make you a happier, healthier person. Researchers who have studied gratitude have noted that people who keep gratitude journals are more optimistic and have fewer physical symptoms.  

Researcher Robert Emmons of the University of California at San Diego has studied gratitude for many years. He has found that feelings of gratitude can help ease resentment, regret and depression. In one study, he reported that participants who kept a daily gratitude journal experienced a 23 percent reduction in stress hormones such as cortisol. 

Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude 

One of the best ways to practice gratitude is by acknowledging what you have. Make a commitment to do it every day. Here are a few ways: 

  • Keep a gratitude journal.Take a few minutes to jot down five people, circumstances or situations that make you feel grateful.  
  • Tell a friend or loved one how much you care.Let them know they are special to you. 
  • Send a thank-you card to someone who helped you out. 
  • Volunteer your time.You will feel more grateful for the things you have. Helping others also boosts feel-good hormones such as oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine. 
  • Live in the present.Don’t spend as much time worrying about the past or future. 
  • Perform daily acts of kindness.Open the door for an elderly person, let someone go ahead of you in line, compliment someone to their supervisor. Any random act will make you feel good inside. 
Experience an abundance of joy by allowing gratitude to fill your heart. It’s one of the nicest gifts you can give yourself and those around you. 

Jenna Richardson is Clinical Director at Princeton Integrative Health. Located at 134 Franklin Corner Road, Suite 101B in Lawrenceville, Princeton Integrative Health combines conventional medicine with evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle healing therapies. For more information, call 609-512-1468 or email [email protected]. PrincetonIH.com.

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Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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