June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 16

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
Gratitude Benefits All of Us
How thankfulness restores joy in the park and recreation field
By Aaron Harris, M.S., CPRE
M
any professionals in parks and recreation got into the field
because they enjoy the social and emotional components
of the jobs they get to do daily. Societal and professional
struggles in the past few years - including the coronavirus
(COVID-19) pandemic, staffing issues and more - have stressed the
social and emotional connections many professionals have with their jobs.
Expressing gratitude is one way to rekindle the social and emotional connection
that's been lacking during the past few years.
The impact of this letter-writing exercise
was greater than any other intervention
used in the study. The report
also shared that the giver of the
gratitude letter saw lasting benefits
for up to one month.
Dr. Robert Emmons, a psycholoTo
paraphrase Harvard Medical
School, gratitude is the thankful
appreciation for something an individual
receives. When people feel
gratitude, they become aware of
the goodness in their lives and recognize
the source of that gratitude
comes from outside themselves.
Benefits of gratitude for the recipient
are well documented. Today,
let's focus on the impact expressing
gratitude has on the person giving
the gratitude and learn a few ways
to express gratitude toward others.
Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist
at the University of Pennsylvania,
tested the impact of various
positive psychology interventions on
411 people. One of the interventions
was to write and personally deliver a
letter of gratitude to someone who
had never been properly thanked for
their kindness. Participants of this
experiment
immediately exhibited
a huge increase in happiness scores.
16 Parks & Recreation | JUNE 2 0 2 3
gist at the University of California
Davis, has done significant research
on the topic of gratitude for more
than a decade. He conducted a simple
experiment in which people were
instructed to write what they are
thankful for in a journal each day.
Compared to the control groups,
people who wrote about their thankfulness
slept better, exercised more,
and increased their outlook on life.
Based on the research of Dr. Emmons
and Dr. Seligman, I encourage
you to try one of the following
(or for the committed readers out
there, maybe try all three):
* Block 15 minutes in your calendar
sometime during the next two
weeks to think about gratitude and
who you can express gratitude toward.
Then, figure out a way to
express that gratitude. It might be
a thank you note, a phone call, or
buying a cup of coffee.
* Try establishing a " day of gratitude "
at work. In one of my
| PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
previous organizations, we implemented
" Thankful
Thursday "
as a way for people to share
something they were thankful for
with coworkers, volunteers and
patrons. These small demonstrations
of gratitude started to
spread, and we ended up committing
to the activity for an
entire month. Personally,
it felt
good to share stories of thankfulness
with coworkers, and, subjectively,
the work culture felt more
connected and uplifted.
* Take out your phone and text
someone who has made a difference
in your life. Specifically, find
someone you haven't spoken within
the past month. In this message,
share what they did to make an
impact on your life specifically,
and why that was important.
Looking back on the myriad
struggles facing the industry
throughout the past several years,
I'd like to think more than a few of
those issues can be solved by sharing
gratitude. As a leader, sharing
specific gratitude with those who
are doing quality work and making
your work life more enjoyable
is an easy and low-cost way to improve
culture. It's proven that acts
of gratitude, no matter how small,
will improve the day of someone
you care about as well as your own
happiness. So, what are you waiting
for? Start sharing gratitude with
those around you today.
Aaron Harris, M.S., CPRE, is Senior
Recreation Manager at City of Fort Collins
(aharris@fcgov.com).
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2023 - Parks & Recreation
