{"id":1610,"date":"2018-12-04T20:28:02","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T20:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/?p=1610"},"modified":"2018-12-04T20:28:02","modified_gmt":"2018-12-04T20:28:02","slug":"the-gift-that-costs-nothing-but-transforms-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/2018\/12\/04\/the-gift-that-costs-nothing-but-transforms-everything\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gift That Costs Nothing . . .But Transforms Everything"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Each December, \u00a0many of us rush through our days to complete our holiday tasks, trying to find the right gift. \u00a0We experience increased stressed from \u00a0holiday crowds, long lines, and traffic, or hours shopping online.<\/p>\n

Yet there\u2019s one gift that costs nothing but transforms everything. And it\u2019s not available online. Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson \u00a0has found that sharing \u201cmicro-moments\u201d of connection with another person can relieve our stress, improve our mood, and reduce inflammation, increasing \u00a0the physical and emotional health of both giver and receiver.<\/p>\n

These heartfelt connections take only a moment and can be shared not only with close friends and family but anyone you encounter from the clerk at the store to the next person in line. \u00a0A simple smile, eye contact, presence, perhaps a kind word\u2014that\u2019s all it takes.<\/p>\n

This small gift\u00a0can\u00a0make a great difference, rippling out to touch the hearts and raise the energies of those we meet.<\/p>\n

We can begin healing the stress and anxiety in ourselves and our world by reaching out to connect with the people around us– one micro-moment at a time.<\/p>\n

What about you?<\/p>\n

The next time you find yourself rushing, stop.<\/p>\n