As November has just come to a close, we look back at National Gratitude Month; a time to stop and reflect on who, and what, we are grateful for, while acknowledging all the positives in our life. As we well know, November resides in one of the most stressful and busiest times of the year. The idea of pausing and saying “thanks” can often be the last thing on our everlasting to-do list. This is due, in part, to the fact that we are programmed to continuously problem solve and unconsciously focus on the negative.
As arduous as it may be to pay attention to the positive, practicing gratitude and learning to be present in our positive experiences can be an immensely powerful tool. Implementing gratitude into our daily lives can benefit overall health and well-being (something the Department of Family Medicine [DFM] knows a little bit about!).
Recent studies have shown that expressing gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, chronic pain and the risk of diseases. While simultaneously improving sleep, mood and immunity.
The Psychology of Gratitude
To celebrate National Gratitude Month, the DFM had the pleasure of listening to an insightful presentation entitled The Psychology of Gratitude, with speakers, Amy Sholler Dreier, PhD, and Edward MacPhee, MD. They used their expertise to focus on positive psychology/psychotherapy, savoring, and gratitude.
Amy and Ed addressed that research on positive psychology paved the way for positive psychotherapy, which aims to alleviate symptomatic stress by enhancing wellbeing. Strategies to enhance wellbeing require focusing on the good in our life by using tools like savoring and gratitude.
Savoring
The word savoring not only refers to enjoying freshly baked turkey and pie, it also is a useful strategy in the wheelhouse of positive psychotherapy.
Savoring refers to “the capacity to attend to, appreciate, and enhance the positive experiences in one’s life.”
Which has two key core concepts: paying attention to the positive experiences (a meta-awareness) and managing your experiences of those feelings; allowing space for those emotions.
There are a few different ways we can practice savoring:
- Sharing with others (discuss the positive experiences with others)
- Meaningful description (putting your experience into words)
- Memory building (taking mental notes)
- Counting blessings (gratitude)
Gratitude
Savoring can prelude gratitude; you can focus on the positive, enjoy the emotions, then become thankful for that experience/moment.
And gratitude is not a one-time event. Using gratitude more often as a practice can help facilitate and strengthen your wellbeing and “combat negativity bias,” including:
- Increasing optimism, happiness & wellbeing
- Increasing relationship satisfaction
- Increasing occupational satisfaction and motivation
- Shifting one’s attention away from toxic emotions
As Amy and Ed mentioned, savoring and gratitude are like “brain muscles” needing exercise (just like that post-Thanksgiving-dinner, walk). When we do this, it will become easier to notice and recognize what we are thankful for, every day.
Gratitude Within the DFM
Practicing gratitude can look like leaving a thank you note on the desk of your coworker, mediating during your lunch break, or stating your “3 good things” on your way home from work. If you need some inspiration just look within our department.
As the Department of Family Medicine begins to close a chapter on another year, our Executive Leadership Team shares with us what gratitude means to them.
Myra Muramoto, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Woodward-Chisholm Endowed Chair:
“Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, because it is about giving thanks, family and friends, and of course, delicious food!
As I reflect on all that has happened in my life this year, especially the past few months, I recognize again the power of gratitude. I am thankful that my baseline is feeling gratitude for the many blessings in my life: family, friends, and wonderful colleagues; the privilege of being a family doctor and a member of our great Department; and the important work we all do to better people’s lives.
And for me, this year has been one where I have had even more to be grateful for...I was diagnosed with breast cancer this fall. While cancer is never a good diagnosis to have, the love and support from family, friends and colleagues was profoundly touching and uplifting – giving me ever so much more to be thankful for!”
Linda Montgomery, MD, MA, FAAFP, Vice Chair for Educational Programs:
"Every single day I am grateful that I've been able to find Family Medicine where my life's calling meets some of the great needs of the world. But this work cannot — and should not — happen alone. I feel an abundance of gratitude to get to work at the CU DFM where I've found such talented, committed, and optimistic faculty and staff members working not only to render excellent care but also improve and innovate that care. I am especially grateful for those who teach. Thank you so much to all of you who educate those coming behind us to care for our patients and communities.”
Jodi Holtrop, PhD, Vice Chair for Research Programs:
“I’ve always been a busy person, and I realized that I must like being busy because I must really like what I am doing and want to do a lot of it. I was talking with my mom, apologizing for something and she said, ‘It’s okay, you are busy doing good things in the world.’ Thanks, mom! I feel committed to and like what I’m doing because I get to, with all of you incredible humans, contribute to making people’s lives better. I am thankful to be a family medicine researcher and play a role in discovering how we can take the best care of our patients, support those who take care of our patients, and support other researchers who are striving for the same thing.”
Brian Bacak, MD, FAAFP, Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs and Quality:
“I am so grateful that I work within our Department of Family Medicine. It is inherently a Department focused on making the world a better place. We have an incredible team filled with experts and thought leaders who share an amazing ability to translate ideas into reality.
I work with a wonderfully gifted Clinical Affairs Team and am thankful for each and every person that I get to work with. They are creative, thoughtful, strategic, and impactful across so many areas. They never let us forget that we are taking care of people who need access, compassion, common sense AND evidence-based care and that what we do should always keep that in mind.
I am thankful for the heart that our entire department brings to their work, taking care of patients, and each other, and I am really grateful for those that lead with their heart and emphasize the power of culture to heal and sustain each other.”
Cleveland Piggott, MD, MPH, Vice Chair for Diversity, Health Equity, & Inclusion:
“I, like so many folks in the department, wear a lot of different hats. The main ones being clinical, resident and student education, and DEIA work. People often ask me if there is anything you would give up and I pause, reflect, and the answer remains nothing. They sometimes ask me, which do you like the most and my response is ‘all of it.’ I'm incredibly thankful to work with clinicians all passionate about giving the best care to every patient. I love working alongside former mentors, now colleagues, all dedicated to educating and creating the best doctors. I'm humbled to work with countless individuals and teams all committed to the hard work of personal growth as it related to their DEIA journey so that we all can thrive together.”
Michael Cahill, MS, CHPQ, Director of Finance & Administration:
“This year, I’ve been incredibly grateful for the collaboration and dedication shown across the department as we’ve embarked on new initiatives and embraced change. I’d like to especially recognize the Human Resources team for their perseverance and tireless efforts this year, and the strategic planning efforts led by our champions, who have engaged in bringing our strategies to life. It’s inspiring to witness the collective effort of every individual and team contributing to serving our communities. Thank you for making this department a place where innovation and compassion thrive.”
Thank you to our committed leadership team for being an exceptional support system and guiding our department to greatness, we couldn’t do it without you—just like we couldn’t do it without each and every one of our faculty and staff members. We are grateful for all you do.
Happy Holidays!
