The Wellness Practice We All Need this Holiday Season
11.3.2021
The holidays are fast approaching, which means bustling around for gifts, planning extravagant meals and coordinating plans with family members we haven't seen in a while thanks to Covid-19 and the challenging year and a half we’ve had. Because of that, we want to savor the holidays this year; doing so would require that we all slow down a bit and focus on the things in our lives that we do have, that we are grateful for.
In honor of this, we asked some of the tenants at ROW to answer the following prompt. Here is what they had to say.
“How do you practice gratitude in your daily life?”
Mary Nagakawa, Head of Creative: While expressing gratitude to those around us is an important part of daily life, self-gratitude often feels overlooked and neglected. I try to practice self-gratitude every day by doing one small act of kindness for myself — whether that be through exercise, allowing myself to listen to the same songs over and over again, or simply reminding myself that I'm doing the best I can. Caring for myself this way is vital in making sure I can reciprocate the gratitude I feel and receive from family, friends, and colleagues on a daily.
Rose Apodaca, A+R Co-Owner: I practice gratitude daily by expressing it via any means available to my wonderful A+R team, clients, colleagues, friends and family—even toward those I see every day. Conveying gratitude is a very powerful force for both giver and recipient. Try it.
Sal Salcedo, Owner: "I’m constantly looking for more ways to be grateful for the life I get to participate in everyday. Prayer in the morning when I wake up & at night time before bed as well as during meals are the main ones that are routine now. Or at least a quick: “Itadakimasu” before our food is a must. Highs or lows, I like to give life a Gracias. I like to get creative with it;
One of my favorite things to say is that: when one fully heals from even the most challenging experiences in our lives is when we even become grateful for them occurring; for they are the ones that have taught us the biggest lessons.
Ted Vadakan, Co-Founder: Every morning, first thing I try to do is think of three people I'm grateful for, the first people to come to mind. This reminds me of the love and friendships we have and a great way to start the day.
Micah, Founder: I practice gratitude in my daily life by trying not to take for granted all the little things that we can sometimes feel entitled to. Like taking a hot shower, having a bed to sleep in at night or having a hot meal. I think it's important to not lose sight of the fact that many people in the world live without some of the things that a lot of us tend to take for granted.
Crystal Robles, Co-Founder: Every morning I write three things into my daily journal that I am grateful for.
A great way to show your gratitude this holiday season is to shop small and support the businesses that rely on you to thrive. We appreciate you!