The Valvespring Optimism project

OPTIMISM GROUNDED IN GRATITUDE

Optimism. It fortifies our energy.
It improves our mood.
It bolsters our creative thinking.
It is the heart of progress and the soul of positive change.
Optimism is linked to longevity, staying healthy and recovery from illness and disease. But, it's not an excuse to be reckless, nor a substitute for taking good care of ourselves and others. Optimism won’t stop COVID-19, but it may help us cope with the extraordinarily trying situation of a pandemic coupled with the toppling of the financial markets.
 
Its times like these we–as individuals and communities–need optimism more than ever. It is optimism that empowers us to react to problems with resilience and confidence. 
 
Optimism is the belief in positive future outcomes and is firmly grounded in gratitude, the feeling of thankfulness for things we’ve experienced.
Research has found that keeping a gratitude journal can lead to improved psychological and physical well-being.

Participants in one gratitude journaling study said they were more enthusiastic, determined and alert. They were more likely to help others, too.
 
You might think more writing equals greater benefits. Not so. Writing in a gratitude journal only once a week has a greater impact than daily note taking, studies show. Here’s the thing:  actually writing about–not just thinking about–the things for which you're grateful is linked to greater feelings of optimism.
 
And that’s something that there is just too little of.
​

DO IT!
Set aside 15 minutes once a week for at least three weeks to write about a good person, place or thing in your life.  (We’ll even send you a notebook for this, just ask!)

  • Go deep – the more detail about the person or thing for which you’re grateful, the better
  • Be creative – not sure what words to use? Draw a picture, instead
  • Get personal – think of people to whom you’re grateful and why
  • If you find you’re often writing about the same person or things, focus on a different detail each time
  • Recount an experience – Record events that were unexpected or surprising
  • Write in your gratitude journal whenever you feel like it – but stay committed to at least once a week