Affording Appreciation

Many of us go through our day completely unaware of the value suspended just below the surface of daily living. Early preparation routines, maybe getting breakfast for the kids or getting ready for work, often set a surface-level course that goes no deeper until we lay our head on the pillow at night. And oftentimes, that daily surface level is an obstacle course of negative energy output, jumping over hurdles of phone calls, appointments, laundry, meals, interactions and more.

Few of us stop in place for a moment, to survey the land, and pick up a shovel to see what lies underneath the bustle of rote activity and stress. The word appreciation means "to appraise, get a full understanding of, or count the value of a thing". Think in financial terms. We can spend a full day (the irony) wasting our energy on negative, unproductive or inconsequential activities. Or we can take a breath, stretch our neck like a meerkat surveying our land, and take notice of our own daily emotional profits and expenditures.

When just under the surface lies value - gold , sliver, precious stones of worth and richness. This sub-structure that mostly goes unnoticed in your day is the deeper layer of gratitude. If appreciation means to count the value of something, what would it look like for you to periodically ping the value of the things and people in your life, including yourself? Neuroscience has proven that practicing purposeful thoughts of gratitude can affect change in the hippocampus and amygdala, which are the two main sites that regulate emotion in the brain. Psychological studies have even revealed that participants who wrote letters of gratitude alongside their counseling sessions reported feeling better and recovering sooner than their counterparts who were asked to journal negative experiences and experienced depression and anxiety.

What is the take-away? You have a tool of healing and health already available to you. Survey your life, take a few minutes out of your day to be a value-counter. Find the good, the positive, the helpful, the beneficial, the enjoyable, the cute, the funny the lovable things and people in your life. Recognize them, rehearse them, write them. Rest assured, you can afford a few minutes to count the value.

Gratitude...

• Enhances feelings of contentment and wellbeing

• Supports metal health and resilience

• Improves mood, increases empathy & strengthens social bonds

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful with thanksgiving." - Colossians 4:2