Autumn is a time to celebrate the change in the weather as the heat and light of summer recede, leaving us with cooler days and nights.
Our physical beings register these changes and cause us to become more reflective as we head toward the Thanksgiving holidays and beyond. Autumn also affords us the opportunity to think about what our goals and intentions are for the remaining few weeks of the year.
Traditionally, when most of the world was agrarian (reliant on the land for survival), it was a time to consider what was being harvested from what was sown in the spring and summer. Almost all cultures around the world structured important ceremonies for their tribes and communities around the meaning of the harvest, of the need to express gratitude for the blessings of its sustenance, as well as a reward for the hard work of the prior growing season.
Gratitude is a key factor in living authentically and has also been the focus of many recent health and wellbeing studies. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley in collaboration with UC/Davis have found that people who practice gratitude consistently report a host of benefits:
- Stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure
- Higher levels of positive emotions
- More joy, optimism, and happiness
- Acting with more generosity and compassion
- Feeling less lonely and isolated
- Begin each day with a quick meditation or prayer by giving thanks for the good fortune to have the new day in front of you.
- Keep a gratitude journal, and write down all the things in your life you are grateful for, big and small.
- Take turns around the dinner table giving each family member an opportunity to express something for which they are grateful from the day that just concluded.
Randi Ragan is the founder and owner of the award-winning GreenBliss EcoSpa. She has just completed her first book, A Year Of Living Mindfully: Seasonal Practices to Nurture Body, Mind, and Spirit. This article was originally published on NaturallySavvy.com
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