Mindscape  

Mindscape  

Abby Delouya, B.A., B.Ed., RMFT-CCC

Quick Tips To: Teaching the Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude isn’t something children acquire automatically. Research has shown that gratitude is linked to positive feelings, stronger relationships, and various health benefits.

1. Make “Thank You” a regular phrase: There’s a difference between politeness and gratitude. Children should learn why they’re being asked to say thank you — and attach meaning to the words.
2. Talk about gratitude: A round of “what are you grateful for” daily or a few times a week helps kids identify the good in their lives.
3. Do chores: By instilling a team mentality, kids come to see themselves as helpers — and appreciate when others do for them as well.
4. Volunteering: Doing chesed can build empathy, kindness, and compassion.
5. Giving: Parents should empower kids to decide who to donate to, and help them see how their generosity could bring happiness to another child.

Disorders Decoded: Grief and Loss

While grief isn’t a particular disorder (yet may be linked to depression and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome), it’s  a mental state that can impact our daily lives. People respond differently to grief.

There are five distinct stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Contrary to original psychological thought, they aren’t linear or necessarily predictable in terms of timeline. People can be triggered “back” to a particular stage by a yahrtzeit, a scent, an environmental reminder, or another relationship.

Because the only thing a person can do is “go through” the grief, we can feel helpless seeing our loved ones suffer. The best ways to support them are to avoid rescuing or fixing, not to try to force recovery, and making yourself accessible when and if they want to connect.