Quick Summary
In this multi-part series, Jessica Manner spotlights a different quality of the human well-being against the backdrop of today's complicated climate.
This is part two of a multi-part series on "The Science of Well-Being" by Jessica Manner. Each article spotlights a different quality of the human well-being, as taught by Yale University professor Laurie Santos. Manner applies each quality to today's complicated climate and gives her perspective on working-from-home while maintaining a positive mindset.
GRATITUDE
Santos suggests trying to be more grateful to increase happiness, though it can admittedly be hard to find things to be grateful for in the midst of a global pandemic. Trying to navigate the minefield of working from home and balancing that with a family in the same house is not an easy situation to be thrust into. I am grateful that employment is still part of my ever-changing reality. Unfortunately, many of my friends have been laid off in the last few days and weeks and it can be very easy to tune into the news each morning and continue to lose hope.
The internet is flooded with stories of people losing jobs, losing insurance, losing loved ones and finding themselves in very desperate situations. Perhaps you fall into this spectrum somewhere? What I do know is that while there is little we can as individuals do to solve these greater problems of human need, we can decide to be more grateful for what we still have and, in turn, strengthen our individual impacts in our daily life.
Perhaps start with seeing the simple humor of everyday. As I type, my dog is chewing a bone directly on my foot, and as much as it literally hurts - I can realize that I am grateful for his happiness, health and companionship.
