{"id":1619,"date":"2018-12-31T21:41:48","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T21:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/?p=1619"},"modified":"2018-12-31T21:41:52","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T21:41:52","slug":"what-kind-of-world-do-you-want-in-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/2018\/12\/31\/what-kind-of-world-do-you-want-in-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"What Kind of World Do You Want in the New Year?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What kind of world do you want to live in? Too many of us live in a world of anxiety. Stress with work, commuting, relationships, and each new crisis on the daily news can plunge us into a world where we feel constantly under attack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anxiety is the number one mental health problem in the United States. But no matter what is going on around us, how we respond to external reality can shape our future and transform the world we live in. Do you feel victimized by a hostile world, feel defeated by current problems or see them as challenges to be overcome? Do you see yourself as capable or an abject failure, responding with what psychologist Martin Seligman has called optimism or learned helplessness? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research at the University of Rome has shown that we can transform\nthe world we experience by adopting a regular gratitude practice. We can begin\nseeing ourselves and our world in a more compassionate light, recognizing the\npossibilities within and around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultivating a grateful attitude makes us more compassionate\ntoward ourselves whenever things go wrong. Reducing harsh self-criticism and\nself-attack, gratitude becomes a protective factor against anxiety and\ndepression.  Changing how we see the world,\nit helps us notice and appreciate the good things in life. Gratitude improves\nour relationships with others, creating greater kindness and compassion to heal\nour troubled world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some simple ways to add gratitude to your life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n