Continuing The Focus On Gratitude
 In the past several months, several organizations including RAFT that coordinate hospital discharge and placement services in the long-term communities had to find ways to sustain them amid pandemic. With all that, we owe a debt of gratitude to our partners and others who played tangible or intangible roles to help keep residents from rehospitalization and continue building resilience.
Continuing our theme from last month, Dr. Robert Emmons, the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, discussed the importance of focusing on gratitude and taking care of our mental health.
Gratitude allows us to participate more in life. We notice the positives more, and that magnifies the pleasures you get from life. Instead of adapting to goodness, we celebrate goodness. We spend so much time watching things on television such as movies or sports and internet/computer screens, but with gratitude we become greater participants in our lives as opposed to spectators.
Gratitude blocks toxic, negative emotions, such as envy, resentment and regret. You cannot feel envious and grateful at the same time, they’re incompatible feelings. If you’re grateful, you can’t resent someone for having something that you don’t.
Grateful people are more stress resistant. Dr.Emmons believes gratitude gives people a perspective from which they can interpret negative life events and help them guard against post-traumatic stress and lasting anxiety.
Here are some of the things our RAFT clients and staff are grateful for:
I am grateful for smiles on zoom calls, comfy pants and long walks outside.
-Kristen (Mental Health Therapist)
The food, love the food, a fresh Pie smells so nice.
-RAFT client
Privileged to work with amazing older adults and equally amazing RAFT team. Looking forward to when we can all just “be” with each other, listen to each other, and maybe share some cake.
-Alice (Director, RAFT Program)
The food here is great. I can’t be with family, but it was a normal Thanksgiving.
-RAFT client
I am grateful for family, friends, and Hallmark Christmas Movies😊
-Keyonia (Mental Health Therapist)
I am grateful I have my children to enjoy.
-RAFT client
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