Being Grateful Makes Us Happier and Healthier.

Developing a gratitude mindset & skillset is a bridge to a better outlook, positive experience and change the way the brain processes information.

In honor of Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, this week we focus on the role of gratitude in our lives.  Gratitude is not only being polite in saying thanks, but also linked with positive mental health. Important in youth sport? 100%!

In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Gratitude helps us feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

We can express gratitude in different ways.  We can apply a gratitude skillset to the present in maintaining a positive attitude, and also to the past and to the future.

The research on gratitude reveals that those who express gratitude, a positive outlook and review on experiences, are happier and feel better about their lives as opposed to who focus on irritations and things that displease them.

Recent research has also studied how gratitude not only impacts how happy we are but also how it can repair those who are struggling with mental health concerns.  Specifically, it has revealed that gratitude releases us from toxic emotions, that it has benefits even when not shared with others, they take time in taking effect and actually can change the brain. That is right, research has shown that expressing gratitude consistently can change the way the brain processes information.

Simply put, there is proof that gratitude can change our priorities and helps us appreciate people in our lives and things we do.

Which brings us to the connection with youth sport.

While the impact and benefits of expressing gratitude are far reaching for all of us, think of the connection this has for all those involved in youth sport?

At a time when mental health is a topic du jour across our culture, cultivating a personality of gratitude seems to be a clear path to better mental health. 

This is especially true when we itemize all the people and opportunities for which we should be grateful, these include:

From the perspective of the young athlete, grateful for:

·        The opportunity to move.  To be healthy enough to participate. We know that physical health is not to be taken of granted yet we do. Appreciating that being well enough to move and play is a blessing in itself.

·        All the people who contribute to creating play opportunities. Parents, coaches, volunteers, officials, facility workers. Many work diligently so opportunities can happen. The days of creating free play opportunities are few and far between for our young athletes, so these organized activities don’t just organize themselves.

o   Parents commit tons of time and money for the opportunity to play.

o   Coaches spends hundreds of hours often volunteering their time to make opportunities happen.  The volunteer coaches do this on top of their full-time work and family commitments.  Paid coaches have dedicated their professional lives to being the very best they can be to support teaching the proper skills that will maximize opportunities for our youth.  Be as cynical as you want to, very few of the coaches in youth do so for the money.

·        The other participants. This includes teammates and opponents. Opponents in a competitive setting are often vilified by many, however, they are not only needed for competition but often bring out the best of the participants.  Respect for fellow teammates is equally important.  Without teammates, there is no team.  Bringing youth together on a team from different backgrounds can be one of the strongest benefits of participation.

Gratitude through youth sport is not exclusive for athletes. Parents and coaches are better for also adopting an appreciative skillset around youth sports.

These include being grateful:

·        That your child can play.   While every child should have the opportunity to play, that is not the case.  The opportunity should never be taken for granted.

·        That there are volunteers who support the activity. Without them, there is no activity.

·        For parents: that coaches are willing to coach. For coaches: that parents trust you with their kids to guide them through the activity and focus on a positive experience.

Once you turn on the gratitude tap, we can see that there is lots to appreciate. This by no means is an exhaustive list, but one that gives a glimpse into all that goes into making sport opportunities exist.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

How do we create an environment of gratitude around our kids in youth sport?

·        Practice it. As adults, so much is picked up by modeling from our kids. We often forget that our habits are often the same ones mimicked and developed by our offspring.  Being grateful is not something we are born with. It is a skill that is developed and requires cultivation. Practice means it is part of our daily lives.  We do have the ability to choose what we focus on.

·        Monitor and develop our communication.  Those are practice gratitude have a different language that those who focus on other things. Grateful people will most often ask about others, rather than just speak of themselves.  Those practicing gratitude often choose their words differently and will express themselves to that end.  Framing the activity or day in a positive light and sharing that is a step in development of a gratitude

·        Mindfulness. Appreciation for the moment, rather than worried about the next or last thing supports a grateful mindset.

o   Replay and share past positive experiences.  Connect the positive experience to all that went into making it happen. 

o   Make sure to take time to look forward to the next opportunity to practice or play.

·        Say thank you. Simple but often forgotten. Thanks to the official, the coach, the parent etc. A simple gesture of thanks not only shows appreciation for another’s contribution but has a positive impact on the person offering.

It may sound corny to some, but a mindset of gratitude is a steppingstone to feeling better about all the work and effort that goes into creating opportunities, while enjoying them while they occur.

Our culture has developed a real strong affinity in forgetting the role of mindfulness in being grateful.  Feeling good about ourselves and the activities we support is a skill that requires practice just like any other.  

Too often we are not grateful for the opportunities until they are taken way.  

Here is to giving thanks more often than once per year!

Happy Thanksgiving!