Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

In this week’s IFG sessions we took the opportunity to focus on gratitude. We discussed the meaning of gratitude exploring various definitions that defined gratitude as a spontaneous feeling of thankfulness or an awareness of the many hands that have made your life what it is, to an even broader sense of the universal gifts that have made your life possible. We then talked about the connection between mindfulness and gratitude. The practice of mindfulness allows us to develop awareness of our emotions and thoughts, this awareness allows us to notice the ways we often reject or block positivity to focus on what’s bothering us. We then have the option to see the good that is always around us and acknowledge it, we are empowered to decide how we want to engage and see. That openness generates a greater appreciation and thankfulness of the world around us. We can’t appreciate what we don´t notice.

In the SOC IFG we talked about the literal life threatening effects of racism and how the practice of gratitude is scientifically proven to not only alleviate stress but bring joy.

In the All Student IFG we discussed gratitude as active principle which allows us to engage in and change the world around us for the better.