THE ATTITUDE

OF

GRATITUDEBY KATIE AARONSON

& SHERIL HERMAN

WELCOME!

• Blessing and bounty of working with great partners. Better outcomes for our clients.

THINGS MIGHT SEEM OUT OF CONTROL

• Political climate in our country

• News cycles – bad news, negative news sells

• Concerns for health, family and friends

• Isolation is the amplifier to all the above.

• Today, we are going to focus on the positive, instead of the negative. … But before we do LET’s Talk!

DEPRESSION IN SENIORS: WHY THE HOLIDAYS CAN BE HARD

BY DR. RONAN FACTORA, MD

• Holidays often are filled with activities, traditions with family and friends.

• Feelings of nostalgia.

• It's normal for people to feel sad when they think about the good times, they had with others who are now far away or have passed away.

• Depression is common in older persons. Some estimates showing that 8 to 16 % of older individuals experience clinically significant depressive symptoms.

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION

• Feeling sad, down or "low" is only one symptom of depression.

• A person may also lose interest in activities that they once enjoyed.

• Problems sleeping, either much less or much more than before.

• Anger, irritability, and frustration

• A person may experience frequent intrusive, guilty, or ruminating thoughts.

• Their appetite may decline, and weight may be lost.

• Complain of low energy and lack of motivation

• Anxiety

IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS

• …To have depression.

• if an individual reports feeling depressed most of the day or experiences a loss of interests in activities that they used to enjoy, and they have four of the 10 symptoms described previously for two or more weeks, they meet criteria.

FRIENDS & FAMILY SHOULD BE ON THE LOOK OUT!

• Changes in an older person's mood or behavior that may indicate depression.

• If you notice something different or concerning, don't ignore it – say something.

• Ask the person you're concerned about if he or she is feeling down, low or sad.

BE ON THE LOOK OUT!CONTINUED

• Keep a close eye on how they're doing, and if mood doesn't improve or gets worse over a few weeks, suggest that they see a doctor.

• If they don't live nearby, give them a call & let them know you're thinking about them.

• If possible, offer to visit. Human interaction, in addition to formal treatment approaches, can work wonders for an older adult dealing with depression.

GETTING IN THE MOOD FOR GRATITUDE

PURPOSE

• "Studies also have shown that one of the best predictors of happiness is whether a person considers his or her life to have a purpose," says David Niven, Ph.D., author of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People. "Without a clearly defined purpose that people come up with themselves, they're likely to feel unsatisfied with their lives." After analyzing thousands of studies, Dr. Niven offers the following research-based secrets of happy people.

STEPS TO TAKE

• Cultivate friendships. Rekindle past relationships and take advantage of opportunities at work or among your neighbors to expand your friendship base. "People need to feel they're part of something bigger, that they care about others and are cared about by others in return," says Dr. Niven.

• Accentuate the positive. Happy people and unhappy people explain the world differently. When an unhappy person must interpret the world, eight of ten times he or she will see the negative in an event. When a happy person does so, eight of ten times he or she will see the positive.

GRATITUDE TURNS WHAT WE HAVE INTO ENOUGH• Don't confuse stuff with success. You're neither

a better nor a worse person because of the kind of car you drive, the size of your home or the job you have. In one study, the availability of material resources was nine times less important to happiness than the availability of "personal" resources, such as friends and family.

-AESOP

• Enjoy what you have. Satisfied people appreciate what they have in life and don't compare themselves to others. Valuing what you have over what you don't or can't have leads to greater happiness.

• Share of yourself. Don't hold your feelings, thoughts and hopes inside. Share them with your friends and family. People who hold things inside tend to feel isolated and think no one understands them. "Those who share feel supported and more content, even if events don't go exactly as they wish," Dr. Niven says.

• Volunteer. Volumes of research show a strong consensus that volunteering contributes to happiness by creating an increased sense of purpose in people's lives. Volunteers, on average, are twice as likely to feel happy with their lives as people who don't volunteer.

“WHOEVER SAID YOU CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS FORGOT ABOUT LITTLE PUPPIES”

-GENE HILL• Cherish animals. Interaction with animals

provides both immediate joy and long-term positive feelings and contributes strongly to our happiness. "Animals have so much to teach us about love," says Dr. Niven. "The closer we get to animals, the more joy they give us."

RANGER

REACH OUT• Don't face your problems alone. "Problems can

appear to be unsolvable," he says. "But we're social creatures who need to discuss our problems with others, whether it be those who care about us most or those who have faced the same ones we have. When we're alone, problems fester. By asking for help, we can gain perspective and find solutions."

TELEHEALTHVISITS

• Visit with your Doctor via TeleHealth

CONNECTION IDEAS

USE TECHNOLOGY

• Zoom – Free Account with 40 min of video conferencing and lots of free tutorials

• Skype – A senior in one of my communities taught me how to Skype!

• Teams

• WebX

IT CAN BE YOUR FRIEND!

• Facebook – Groups – Women of Kansas City, Dachshund Groups, Gardening, Market Place, Follow Village Home Health and other companies

• Tick Tock – Lots of funny posts here!

• Texting – This is a great tool!

THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

LAUGH YOUR WAY TO GRATITUDE

Search the web for funny LLama or Alpaca memes

Or Funny Dog Memes

FOR SHERIL

HOW YOUR THOUGHTS CHANGE YOUR BRAIN, CELLS AND GENESEVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY, YOUR BODY IS PHYSICALLY REACTING, LITERALLY CHANGING, IN RESPONSE TO THE THOUGHTS THAT RUN THROUGH YOUR MIND.

BYDEBBIE HAMPTON

• Every minute of every day, your body is physically reacting, literally changing, in response to the thoughts that run through your mind.

• It's been shown over and over again that just thinking about something can cause your brain to release neurotransmitters, chemical messengers that allow it to communicate with parts of itself and your nervous system. Neurotransmitters control virtually all of your body's functions, from hormones to digestion to feeling happy, sad, or stressed.

• Studies have shown that thoughts alone can improve vision, fitness, and strength.The placebo effect, as observed with fake operations and sham drugs, for example, works because of the power of thought. Expectancies and learned associations have been shown to change brain chemistry and circuitry which results in real physiological and cognitive outcomes, such as less fatigue, lower immune system reaction, elevated hormone levels, and reduced anxiety.

IN THE INTENTION EXPERIMENT: USING YOUR THOUGHTS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND THE WORLD, LYNNE MCTAGGART WRITES:

• A sizable body of research exploring the nature of consciousness, carried on for more than thirty years in prestigious scientific institutions around the world, shows that thoughts are capable of affecting everything from the simplest machines to the most complex living beings. This evidence suggests that human thoughts and intentions are an actual physical "something" with astonishing power to change our world. Every thought we have is tangible energy with the power to transform. A thought is not only a thing; a thought is a thing that influences other things.

YOUR THOUGHTS SCULPT YOUR BRAIN

• Every thought you have causes neurochemical changes, some temporary and some lasting. For instance, when people consciously practice gratitude, they get a surge of rewarding neurotransmitters, like dopamine, and experience a general alerting and brightening of the mind, probably correlated with more of the neurochemical norepinephrine.

• In one study, college students deeply in love were shown pictures of their sweeties, and their brains become more active in the caudate nucleus, a reward center, giving them that in-love swoon. When they stopped looking at the pictures, their reward centers went back to sleep.

• What flows through your mind also sculpts your brain in permanent ways. Think of your mind as the movement of information through your nervous system, which on a physical level is all the electrical signals running back and forth, most of which is happening below your conscious awareness. As a thought travels through your brain, neurons fire together in distinctive ways based on the specific information being handled, and those patterns of neural activity actually change your neural structure.

• Busy regions of the brain start making new connections with each other, and existing synapses, the connections between neurons, that experience more activity get stronger, increasingly sensitive, and start building more receptors. New synapses are also formed.

One example of this is the well-known London cab driver studies which showed that the longer someone had been driving a taxi, the larger their hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in visual-spatial memory. Their brains literally expanded to accommodate the cognitive demands of navigating London's tangle of streets. Research has also proven the numerous benefits of meditation for your brain and shown that meditation produces measurable results, from changes in grey matter volume to reduced activity in the "me" centers of the brain to enhanced connectivity between brain regions.

YOUR THOUGHTS PROGRAM YOUR CELLS

• A thought is an electrochemical event taking place in your nerve cells producing a cascade of physiological changes. The article "How Your Thoughts Program Your Cells" explains it this way:

There are thousands upon thousands of receptors on each cell in our body. Each receptor is specific to one peptide, or protein. When we have feelings of anger, sadness, guilt, excitement, happiness or nervousness, each separate emotion releases its own flurry of neuropeptides. Those peptides surge through the body and connect with those receptors which change the structure of each cell as a whole. Where this gets interesting is when the cells actually divide. If a cell has been exposed to a certain peptide more than others, the new cell that is produced through its division will have more of the receptor that matches with that specific peptide. Likewise, the cell will also have less receptors for peptides that its mother/sister cell was not exposed to as often.So, if you have been bombarding your cells with peptides from negative thoughts, you are literally programming your cells to receive more of the same negative peptides in the future. What's even worse is that you're lessening the number of receptors of positive peptides on the cells, making yourself more inclined towards negativity.

• Every cell in your body is replaced about every two months. So, the good news is, you can reprogram your pessimistic cells to be more optimistic by adopting positive thinking practices, like mindfulness and gratitude, for permanent results.

YOUR THOUGHTS ACTIVATE YOUR GENES

• You are speaking to your genes with every thought you have. The fast growing field of epigenetics is showing that who you are is the product of the things that happen to you in your life, which change the way your genes operate. Genes are actually switched on or off depending on your life experiences, and your genes and lifestyle form a feedback loop. Your life doesn't alter the genes you were born with. What changes is your genetic activity, meaning the hundreds of proteins, enzymes, and other chemicals that regulate your cells.

Only about 5 percent of gene mutations are thought to be the direct cause of health issues. That leaves 95 percent of genes linked to disorders acting as an influencers, which can be influenced one way or another, depending on life factors. Of course, many of these are beyond your control, like childhood events, but some are entirely within your control, such as diet, exercise, stress management, and emotional states. The last two factors are directly dependent on your thoughts.Your biology doesn't spell your destiny, and you aren't controlled by your genetic makeup. Instead, your genetic activity is largely determined by your thoughts, attitudes, and perceptions. Epigenetics is showing that your perceptions and thoughts control your biology, which places you in the driver's seat. By changing your thoughts, you can influence and shape your own genetic readout.You have a choice in determining what input your genes receive. The more positive the input, the more positive the output of your genes. Epigenetics is allowing lifestyle choices to be directly traced to the genetic level and is proving the mind-body connection irrefutable

At the same time, research into epigenetics is also emphasizing how important positive mental self-care practices are because they directly impact our physical health.Meditation and mindfulness put you in contact with the source of the mind-body system, giving your thoughts direct access to beneficial genetic activity which also affects how well your cells function, via the genetic activity inside the cells.

USE YOUR THOUGHTS FOR YOU

• You have much more power than ever believed to influence your physical and mental realities. Your mindset is recognized by your body -- right down to the genetic level, and the more you improve your mental habits, the more beneficial response you'll get from your body. You can't control what has happened in the past, which shaped the brain you have today, programmed your cells, and caused certain genes to switch on.

• However, you do have the power in this moment and going forward to choose your perspective and behavior, which will change your brain, cells, and genes.

“IF YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR MIND, YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.”

- William James

PSYCHOLOGY TODAY MEG SELIG8 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR MIND

• The term “negativity bias” refers to the brain’s tendency to react more strongly to bad things—dangers, threats, mistakes, or problems—than to good things, such as pleasure, opportunity, and joy. Although the negativity bias has helped humans survive by alerting us to possible threats, it makes it harder for us to relax, enjoy life, and be happy.

• Luckily, your mind can train your brain to be happier. Focusing on and experiencing the positive aspects of life actually builds new neural structures in the brain. This is another incredible way that your mind can change your brain for the better.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroscience

WHAT THE BAADER-MEINHOF PHENOMENON IS AND WHY YOU MAY SEE IT AGAIN... AND AGAIN

BOOKS AND RESOURCES ON POSITIVE THINKING

• The Power of Positive Thinking – Norman Vincent Peale

• Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

• The Four Agreements – Don Miguel Ruiz

• Esther and Jerry Hicks books

• https://www.powerofpositivity.com

• https://www.healyourlife.com/

https://www.powerofpositivity.com

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

GET SPECIFIC! MAKE A CHOICE!

IT’S COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT OUR DIETS DIRECTLY AFFECT THE HEALTH OF OUR BODIES. WHILE WE MAY NOT EAT RIGHT 100% OF THE TIME, MOST OF US TRY TO EAT FOR HEALTH.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE AREN’T ALWAYS AS CAREFUL WITH WHAT WE FEED OUR MINDS.

AND IT SHOWS – NOT ONLY IN OUR VIEW OF THE WORLD, BUT ALSO IN OUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH.

FEEDING YOUR MIND WITH SPIRITUAL HEALTH FOOD

KATHYHOWARD.ORG

• Ready to start “renewing your mind” but aren’t sure how to get started? There are countless ways to feed on the truth of God’s Word, but here are a few to get you started:

• Read the Bible regularly

• Listen to God’s Word (sermons, podcasts, audio Bible, etc.)

• Memorize and meditate on Scripture

• Join a Bible study group – I lead one on Facebook I’d love for you to check out. “Reading the Bible Together.”

• Listen to worship and praise music while you work or drive

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReadingTheBibleTogether/

WHAT ARE WE FEASTING ON?

• What are we filling our lives with?

• Plan now for the Holiday, what's it going to look like?Thanksgiving, Hannukah , Christmas

• Managing expectations – What is your plan B?

• Turn the TV off and tune into focusing on others.

• Intentional living

MANY THINGS WE HAVE DON’T HAVE CONTROL OVER. HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE.

GRATEFUL LIVING, AT HOLIDAYS, US NEWS, BY ANTHONY CIRILLO, US NEWS

• Practicing Gratitude During the Holidays

• Research suggests that more grateful people may be healthier and adopt healthier habits.

• We worried about things we have no control over or shouldn't be concerned about.

• Were Missing it! Appreciate the here and now of our life's purpose and the responsibilities of each day, no matter how mundane.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/GGSC-JTF_White_Paper-Gratitude-FINAL.pdf

GRATITUDE IS ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER HEALTHGrateful people experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better and even have stronger immune systems.

Research suggests that gratitude is associated with better physical and psychological health, increased happiness and life satisfaction and decreased materialism, and some studies suggest that more grateful people may be healthier and adopt healthier habits.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE, CHANGES US & OTHERS!

• Sipping coffee outdoors

• Walking in a park

• Calling a friend

• Sending a card to a friend

• Gardening

• Volunteering

• Being kind to a neighbor

• Reading a good book

THEY BAKE BREAD IN THEIR HOMES AND ATE TOGETHER

WITH GLAD AND SINCERE HEARTS.

ACTS 2:4

THANK YOU LANDON CENTER FOR ALLOWING US TO ZOOM WITH YOU!!

PRESENTATIONS IN 2020

• Meatless Wonders

• Boost Your Immunity

• Color – How it Effect Mood and Food

• Pumpkin Madness

• Attitude of Gratitude

SEE ALL YA’LL NEXT YEAR

Presented by:

Sheril Herman and Katie Aaronson

Depression in Seniors: Why the Holidays Can Be Hard by Dr. Ronan Factora, MD

What are You Feeding Your Mind?by Kathy Howard | Jul 13,2020

Quotes by Steve Job’s, Germany Kent , William Shakespeare, William James, Gene Hill and Aesop

Intentional Living by John C. Maxwell

Practicing Gratitude During the Holidays, US News, By Anthony Cirillo

How Your Thoughts Change Your Brain, Cells and GenesEvery minute of every day, your body is physically reacting, literally changing, in response to the thoughts that run throughyour mind.By Debbie Hampton, ContributorOn HuffPost

Writer, blogger, hot yoga enthusiast, brain injury survivor03/23/2016 10:56am EDT | Updated March 24, 2017

https://www.huffpost.com/author/dblhampton-283

David Niven, Ph.D., author of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People.

In Psychology Today by Meg Selig8 Things You Didn't Know About Your Mind

In The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World, Lynne McTaggart

"How Your Thoughts Program Your Cells by Jordan Lejuwann

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