{"id":324594,"date":"2024-12-02T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=324594"},"modified":"2024-12-02T23:09:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T23:09:02","slug":"live-whole-health-episode-250-finding-joy-and-comfort-in-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=324594","title":{"rendered":"Live Whole Health Episode #250: Finding joy and comfort in gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For many, the holidays are filled with joy and connection, but for others, they can stir feelings of loss or loneliness. The absence of loved ones or familiar traditions can make the season bittersweet, leaving some longing for comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s in challenging times that gratitude shines the brightest. It\u2019s not about denying grief\u2014it\u2019s about finding light in the small, meaningful moments around us. Focusing on positive things in life\u2014such as loved ones, pets, our home, or even just being alive\u2014helps manage life\u2019s ups and downs.<\/p>\n<p>Gratitude can bring deeper meaning to our lives and improve our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/wholehealth\/\">Whole Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What does gratitude really mean?<\/h2>\n<p>Gratitude goes beyond simply saying, \u201cthank you.\u201d It\u2019s a mindset\u2014an active effort to notice and appreciate the positives in our lives, no matter how small.<\/p>\n<p>Whether reflecting on a cherished memory, savoring small moments of joy, or expressing thanks to loved ones, gratitude thrives in simple acts of appreciation. It doesn\u2019t require perfection, just a willingness to notice the beauty and goodness around us, even in hard times.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Research shows that gratitude has a profound impact on both mental and physical health. It helps us focus on what\u2019s good, manage stress and build resilience during tough times.<\/p>\n<p>By choosing gratitude, we can transform the way we experience life. It can enhance our well-being, deepen our connections and allow us to find meaning in the moments that matter most. Gratitude doesn\u2019t ignore life\u2019s challenges. Instead, it encourages us to see grace during hardship, finding strength in both the good and the difficult moments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Making gratitude part of your life<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY\/tools\/creating-gratitude-practice.asp\">Creating a Gratitude Practice<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Enjoy this 5-minute gratitude meditation:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image hd-bcve-wrapper hd-bcve-wrapper-js is--youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\" data-id=\"o7DhHcj1jE4\">\n\t\t<button class=\"play-button\" aria-label=\"Play video\"><\/button><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-shortcode\">\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"#LiveWholeHealth: A season of gratitude\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/o7DhHcj1jE4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For many, the holidays are filled with joy and connection, but for others, they can stir feelings of loss or loneliness. The absence of loved ones or familiar traditions can make the season bittersweet, leaving some longing for comfort.\u00a0 It\u2019s in challenging times that gratitude shines the brightest. It\u2019s not about denying grief\u2014it\u2019s about finding [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":49493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-324594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-livewholehealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=324594"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":324596,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324594\/revisions\/324596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=324594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=324594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=324594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}