Hi everyone, Dr. Scott here again. Recently, I\u2019ve been reflecting on gratitude. All the negative news about COVID infections can be disheartening and demoralizing. So, that\u2019s why I try to have an attitude of gratitude \u2014 to take the focus off myself and my worries and appreciate the things around me.<\/p>\n
One thing I\u2019ve found very helpful is a meditation app called Ten Percent Happier. It\u2019s a little pricey, but you can take advantage of the 30-day free trial. Under the sleep setting, there\u2019s a nightly gratitude meditation by Jeff Warren. He asks you to reflect on your day step by step and think of all the things you\u2019re grateful for along the way.<\/p>\n
I like this process because it helps gratitude to become a nightly routine. It\u2019s natural to dwell on the negative \u2014 our brains go there quickly and easily. Having a habit to counteract that tendency has been very valuable to me.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve also begun keeping a gratitude journal. I make it a part of my morning routine as often as possible. Knowing I need to write in my journal gets me looking for other things to be grateful for during the day, and it helps me be self-aware and celebrate small wins.<\/p>\n
I recently enjoyed a TED talk by David Steindl-Rast where he emphasizes that it\u2019s not happiness that makes us grateful; gratefulness makes us happy. Every moment is a gift, and if we view it as valuable, we have an opportunity to seize it. But he doesn\u2019t fall into the trap of thinking opportunity only knocks once \u2014 if you miss that particular moment, you likely have another moment a little later, and you can seize that one.<\/p>\n
Though I\u2019ve gotten much better at feeling grateful, I still need to work on expressing it. I\u2019m reminded of William Arthur Ward\u2019s quote, \u201cFeeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.\u201d In that spirit, I\u2019d like to thank all of you, my patients, my staff, as well as my wife Tala, my children Alecia and Nicholas, and my entire extended family. You are what keeps me enjoying every day.<\/p>\n
| \nWhen you concentrate on the good, I believe good things come your way. Though the world is scary, I hope you\u2019ll join me on this journey to acknowledge and cherish the incredible gifts that are all around us. Again, many thanks!\n<\/td>\n | <\/td>\n | \n![\"dr\"](\"https:\/\/www.eyeplasticmd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/dr.jpg\") ![\"sign\"](\"https:\/\/www.eyeplasticmd.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/sign-300x49-1.png\") <\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hi everyone, Dr. Scott here again. Recently, I\u2019ve been reflecting on gratitude. All the negative news about COVID infections can be disheartening and demoralizing. So, that\u2019s why I try to have an attitude of gratitude \u2014 to take the focus … Continue reading |