Three good things

When I was a young boy, during times when I was struggling, my father would tell me to go back to the basics.  Usually that meant I should keep my eye on the ball, hit the other way, or follow through on my shot.  He was a great believer that if you were struggling, you went back to the things that helped you in the past. 

Presently, we are living in a world of uncertainty.  In my lifetime, I have never seen schools and businesses shut down with no sense of when they will reopen.  This situation, coupled with people told to stay indoors and practice social distancing, has increased stress levels for many of us. 

Following my dad’s advice, I am going back to the basics.  I am making sure that each day, before I go to sleep, I am thinking about three things I am grateful for 

If you regularly do this brief daily exercise, you will find yourself looking for and remembering the good events that happened to you during the day.  Many of these will bring a smile to your face. 

Will three good things stop the virus?  Of course not.  Gratitude does, however, help you be happier, kinder, more patient, more trusting, and more cooperative. these strengths will help you get through these trying times. 

Let us all take my Dad’s advice and get back to the basics.  Join me in doing three good things each day, and together we will get through this crisis 

two tips on staying healthy

Here is a couple of tips from Angela Duckworth on how to stay healthy and how to close the gap between good intentions and what we actually do.

Nobody has a crystal ball when it comes to the coronavirus, but one fact is inarguable: frequent and thorough hand washing is one of the best things we can do to halt the spread of the disease.

By now you’ve likely heard this recommendation. And since hand washing costs practically nothing, requires no special skills or equipment, and dramatically curtails the spread of other germs, too, there’s no reason we shouldn’t comply.

Except, of course, the intention-behavior gap. What’s that, you ask?

The intention-behavior gap is the difference between what we hope to do and what we actually do. In past research, only half of people with positive intentions of enacting a healthy behavior actually followed through with it.

For example, I know I’m supposed to sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice while washing my hands, scrubbing under the nails and between my fingers. But I have a habit of rushing things along rather than taking my time. Your kids, I’m guessing, aren’t yet in the 20-second-hand-washing-club, either. 

Here are two suggestions, based on behavioral science, for closing the intention-behavior gap.

Try thinking of the people in your life who will benefit if you don’t get sick. The motive to protect other people can be even more powerful than the motive to protect yourself. For me, it’s been helpful to think about keeping my 85-year-old mother safe, not only from the coronavirus but whatever other illnesses are circulating at this time of year. 

Try pinpointing the primary obstacle that gets in the way of taking action, then making a plan to avoid or overcome that obstacle. If, like me, you rush through your hand washing, you might make the following plan: When I’m washing my hands, I’ll think of three good things in my life and why I’m grateful for them! Gratitude is good for the body and the soul. And positive emotions can be contagious, too.

With grit and gratitude,
Angela