Gratitude could help ease an unpredictable school year

As Ontario cautiously dances around this pandemic and attempts to open, there will be mixed emotions. For us educators, I can confidently say that we work best when we are physically present with our students. Of course, it goes both ways; we all know how students have struggled this past year with respect to mental health and time spent online.

With all the uncertainty, it is easy to default to doom and gloom — at least it has been for me. I am not one you would say is naturally grateful for the little things in life, and this hasn’t served me well in these difficult times. I wanted to explore some other possibilities. One of my strategies for change was to tap into a daily gratitude practice this summer. I bought a cute notebook (it has to be cute) and every morning I write down three things I am grateful for — it’s that simple.

This summer experiment has altered my perspective in profound ways; I just feel happier thinking about all the blessings in my life. My kids and husband are super fun and smart, I have great friends, meaningful work and I am healthy.

Perhaps this sounds corny, but I urge you to try it — it’s more helpful than resignedly sighing “ugh, Delta, not another year of masks!” It’s remarkable to see these thoughts side by side and realize how one could feel downright miserable spewing the latter all day. The realist in me will always be empathetic for those who suffer, but those feelings can exist alongside a gratitude practice for a happier day.

The transformative nature of a daily gratitude practice checks out with psychology. An article in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology concluded that gratitude may have the highest connection to happiness and mental health of any other personality trait studied.

A full 18.5 per cent of individual differences in people’s happiness could be predicted by the amount of gratitude they feel.

Putting a pen to paper and committing these thoughts into a tangible artifact is key — simply thinking about gratitude is a great start, but the transformation happens when you can see it. A daily gratitude practice can solve many issues that we struggle with such as habituation, comparison and stressful life events that are rarely avoidable, especially now.

I think it may be useful for others to pick up this practice, our students included. We cannot change the trajectory of the pandemic this school year, but we can reframe our daily thoughts to get through it. If you are an educator, you might consider an initiative that asks your community to commit to this practice and share. This year won’t be an easy one, but together, we can be grateful — and happy. Laura Elliott is a guidance counsellor at Lakefield College School. She holds a PhD in health and physical education

We cannot change the trajectory of the pandemic, but we can reframe our daily thoughts to get through it