< Previous49SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEWE THINK YOU’LL LIKE...JOSA tulum is a lifestyle clothing brand that is inspired by the calm beaches of Tulum, Mexico, and the sophisticated, chic style of vintage travel. The JOSA dress reflects the simple, carefree Tulum lifestyle, yet also possesses the fashionable sophistication of the New York scene. The line mainly consists of several dress styles, all of which are wrinkle-resistant and one size. With styles and shapes that are complementary to all body types, everyone will find a JOSA dress that fits to perfection.Award winning coconut oil beauty products: organic, FREE of parabens, petrolatum, artificial colors or phthalates. By supporting us you support our planet. 10% of our profits go to keeping our planet green by supporting community programs including 1% for the planet and EWG (Skin Deep)100% Pure® is a cosmetics beauty firm focused on providing healthy skin care, color cosmetics plus bath and body products. All of 100% PURE products are made only with the highest quality ingredients. Natural and cruelty-free, all products are free of artificial colors, artificial fragrances, synthetic chemical preservatives and all other toxins. Beauty, as pure as it is powerful.50SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEDEEP DIVE INTO GRATITUDETHREE THOUGHT PROVOKING QUESTIONSby Melissa SmithDo you follow the typical gratitude practice of thinking of 3 things you’re grateful for in life, and find you tend to come up with the same things each day, such as your partner, friends, family members, having a roof over your head and food on the table? If so, this following technique, which is often used in cognitive behavioural therapy, will help you broaden the scope of what people, things and experiences you have in your life to be grateful for. Asking these three questions will prompt you to think more deeply about daily experiences that bring you gratitude and joy. In doing so, you’ll become more aware of experiences to be grateful for, as this practice trains the filtering system in your brain - the reticular activating system - to focus more on these experiences, and filter out negative ones.These powerful questions will also move you into a state of openness and curiosity – which can help diminish anxiety as you focus on the positives to look for, rather than focusing on yourself!Melissa is a naturopath, nutritional therapist and transformational coach who helps exhausted business women reclaim their energy so they can maximise their productivity and success in business. Her unique approach combines naturopathy, nutrition, psychology and lifestyle strategies to nourish and energise women from cell to soul. Find out more at www.melissasmith.pro.51SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEThe three questions are:1. What happened today that SURPRISED me?2. What happened today that MOVED me?3. What happened today that INSPIRED me?So as you move through your day, be on the lookout for situations - regardless of how big or small they are - that SURPRISE, MOVE or INSPIRE you. At the end of the day, write your answers in a dedicated gratitude journal. Keeping them in one dedicated place is helpful, as it means you can easily go back and read over your journal entries any time you need to be reminded of how many experiences you have to be grateful for. Here are some examples taken from my gratitude journal:What SURPRISED me: A neglected cat I’ve been caring for was super affectionate with me, which was incredibly surprising as he’d been aggressive and unhappy since I’d met him a few weeks ago. This is a sign that he’s feeling more relaxed and is growing to trust me. I’m incredibly happy and grateful for this, given what he’d been through – it seems there’s potential to completely rehabilitate him which I’d been concerned about, as it would mean that he’d be harder to rehome.Another entry:A work colleague mailed me a care parcel with a scar healing serum, balm and soap to help heal a deep scratch on my forehead from a cat (a different cat from above!). I’m so surprised by, and grateful for, her generous and caring nature, and in taking the 52SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEtime to put together that bundle and mail it to me, especially given we’re all so strapped for time these days.What MOVED me: I received an email from a woman who attended a talk I gave on burnout about 2 years ago, where I shared my experience with stress and fatigue and how I bounced back from exhaustion. She thanked me for the talk and said that the advice I gave her after the talk, where we spoke for a while about her challenges, may well have saved her life. I often wonder what the ripple effect is of the work I do, and hearing from women I’ve helped in any way always moves me – and motivates me to keep sharing my message.What INSPIRED me: Today I read a story about a doctor in the US who had debilitating multiple sclerosis, to the point that she was confined to a wheelchair. She was able to turn her health around through nourishing her body with optimal nutrition and lifestyle strategies that reduced her stress and focused on what was important to her, and now helps others do the same. This inspired me as the strategies this doctor shares with others to help with autoimmune diseases like MS are the ones I also share with my clients who have fatigue. 53SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEIt goes to show that optimising nutrition and making lifestyle changes that help you reduce your stress, and give you more time to focus on enjoying your life, can solve so many of the health conditions we face, which inspires me to continue to share these strategies with women.As you can see, not only have I described each event, I’ve described WHY each event moved, inspired or surprised me. Explaining your reasons why helps you deepen your appreciation and gratitude, and also helps you better express your appreciation.This may seem challenging at first – it gets easier with practice.So over to you. What has surprised, moved and inspired you today? And why did it do so?54SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINETrue forgiveness is when you can say, “Thank you for that experience.” - Oprah Winfrey55SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINENikki is a Wellness Educator and Coach, specialising in empowering mothers in their own wellness. As a mother of two, Nikki struggled with the challenges of being a mother in today’s society and saw the need for practical support for women on their journey through motherhood. Nikki now educates and coaches other mothers in finding their identity as more than just a mum, and to achieve their own dreams by making positive life changes in all areas of wellness. Nikki is a qualified Wellness Coach and has worked in adult learning and development for over 10 years. Connect with Nikki at nikkicox.com.au.HAVE YOU GOT THE GRATITUDE ATTITUDE? by Nikki CoxHaving manners and saying ‘thank you’ was probably ingrained in you as a child. It’s the polite and courteous thing to do, right? But how often do you really feel grateful, deep in your heart, and express it?The emotion of gratitude is felt when we become aware of a positive benefit that has come our way, but we didn’t necessarily earn or deserve it. It’s a sense of wonder, thankfulness and appreciation for life. 56SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINEOpening yourself up to truly experience the feeling of gratitude, and intentionally express your thankfulness to other people, has some amazing benefits in all areas of wellness, such as:- improving your mood- having a more optimistic outlook of the future- better physiological health (e.g. heart rhythms and sleep patterns)- fewer physical symptoms, such as headaches or colds- increasing your performance at work, due to better cognitive functioning- higher states of alertness, determination and energy- a sense of being connected to othersAnd that’s not all! When just one person openly expresses their gratitude, this can motivate others to express gratitude more often, thus starting a virtuous cycle of gratitude. How awesome would that make you feel?DIFFICULTIES WITH EXPRESSING GRATITUDENot everyone finds it easy to express gratitude. But why?We live in a complex society, with imposed expectations and emotions such as embarrassment, fear-driven obligation and guilt, which remove the simplicity that expressing gratitude should have. As a result, it can be difficult to develop grateful behaviours naturally.To overcome this, start by using a written expression of gratitude, like a journal or a letter. This approach can improve your perception of the person your are grateful to, and feel a greater sense of trust and strength in your relationship with that person. Then, when you feel comfortable, try sending the letter, or verbalising what you wrote down. The more you practice expressing gratitude, the more natural it will feel!57SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE1. Think about, or write down, a list of all the things you were grateful for during the day, just as you retire to bed. This will lead to better sleep patterns, which are often disturbed when you go to bed whilst your brain is still mulling over a problem or issue from the day. When your last thoughts are those of gratitude and appreciation, your thoughts and memories are positive, your mind is calmer and you are able to enter into a deeper sleep.2. Notice and express appreciation or thanks in the moment, as much as possible. That is, don’t just wait until the end of the day to review everything you were thankful for – try to also catch things for which you are grateful sooner and express thanks moreimmediately, even if only acknowledging it to yourself.3. Refocus on things that are going well when you are feeling negative.When things aren’t going well, count your blessings. Be thankful for the lesson a negative situation has given you, or identify your specific strengths or skills for improving the situation.3 SIMPLE WAYS TO CULTIVATE A PERSONAL GRATITUDE ATTITUDE58SMART HEALTHY WOMEN MAGAZINE...cultivating a gratitude attitude just takes regular practice, but before you know it, you’ll start to see the benefits for yourself, and spread to those around you...THE IMPORTANCE OF GRATITUDE PRACTICE AS A PARENTGratitude is first role-modelled through parents, before they can teach their children directly how to show kindness and appreciation to others.Family gratitude practices lay the foundation for satisfaction and success in life. The more you exercise gratitude at home, the more likely your children will express kindness and gratitude in their schools and communities, and later in their lives as adults. 6 SIMPLE WAYS TO CULTIVATE A FAMILY GRATITUDE ATTITUDE1. Thank sales assistants in stores, servers in restaurants, and anyone who provides a service or kindness, when you are out and about, in front of your children.2. Write thank you notes together for anyone who shows your child kindness.3. Use dinner time to create a ritual of asking questions like, ‘What’s one great thing that happened in school today,’ or ‘Who did something really nice for you today that made you feel special’.4. As a family, donate to food/toy drives, back to school collections, etc. and explain the needs of others.5. Begin a bedtime practice of listing all the things your child is grateful for that day6. Find a volunteering opportunity that can be done with your childGratitude is an undervalued and underused emotion that is immediately rewarding and enhances all areas of wellness, over and above simply being kind and polite. Next >