The importance of Gratitude
Under the PERMA model for wellbeing, our AWE (Augustinian Wellbeing in Education) program provides opportunities for our students to learn about ways they can enhance their own wellbeing. One of the key underpinnings of positive education is that young people understand the importance of engaging in activities that can boost positive emotions such as joy, awe and love. Practising gratitude is an evidence-based activity that can help us to focus on the positive things in our lives, allowing us to express gratitude for even the simplest of things that we may take for granted. This will often occur through prayer, as well as through activities designed to foster gratitude.
Last Friday in our AWE wellbeing session, our Year 7 students and their Tutors created a Gratitude Tree for their Tutor Group, providing them some time to discuss and reflect on the people and things in their life for which they are grateful and why.
Two activities that parents may wish to do at home with their children is either ‘3 good things’ or ‘what went well’ whilst around the dinner table, on a walk or in the car. Asking your son to focus on something that went well in his day allows him to reflect on something positive. As you may experience yourself, asking, “How was your day?” can often lead to a grunt or a shoulder shrug, however asking them to focus on one positive event each day and the reason why it went well might then lead to a deeper conversation around that topic.
Talking about, or writing down in a journal, three good things that happened each day not only provides a positive experience at the end of a day, but also increases the likelihood that participants will look out for and notice positive things that happen the following day. For further reading on the benefits of gratitude, the Greater Good Science Center have a wealth of resources. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/gratitude
