Introduction
“There are many things to be grateful for in life, but sometimes we don’t notice them because we are too focused on what’s going wrong or what we don’t have. However, if we start paying attention to our surroundings and experiences, we may start to notice many things that we can be grateful for.”
Stoke Your Gratitude C.I.C. is a unique community organisation in Stoke-on-Trent who focus on addressing this issue by using gratitude as a primary tool for improving the health and wellbeing of local people. Gratitude has many benefits for physical and psychological health, with it being recognised that gratefulness can lead to people taking better care of themselves. With this in mind, as Community Health Champions Stoke Your Gratitude C.I.C. are incorporating Gratitude into health promotion discussions.
Cognitive-Based Gratitude (CBG)
As part of their project, Stoke Your Gratitude C.I.C. have developed a technique called Cognitive-Based Gratitude (CBG) that can help people feel more grateful.
CBG is based on the understanding of two types of gratitude: emotional and cognitive. Emotional gratitude happens automatically, but cognitive gratitude is something you can choose to do. With CBG, people are taught how to intentionally focus on gratitude and develop the skills to feel more thankful, which can be especially helpful for people who have a hard time feeling grateful on their own.
There are many things to be grateful for in life, but sometimes we don’t notice them because we are too focused on what’s going wrong or what we don’t have. However, if we start paying attention to our surroundings and experiences, we may start to notice many things that we can be grateful for. By learning these skills, people can use gratitude to feel better and improve their wellbeing.
Example of a Project in Progress:
Another part of what Stoke Your Gratitude C.I.C. does is offer courses to the public. Their latest offering is a course called “Gratitude for Every Body”. It’s a sad fact of life that many of us don’t like our bodies but there are things that can be done to create a more accepting and positive attitude. If you have know someone who might be interested in this, a free place may be available so please get in touch using the contact information below.
Free Journals
Using the Make it Happen fund received from Community Health Champions and Stoke-on-Trent City Council, they have developed a Gratitude Walks for Wellbeing Guidebook and Journal that incorporates some of their CBG teachings. If you’d like copies for your organisation, please get in touch using the information below. Some free paper copies are available but hurry as supplies are limited.
Get in touch:
Bret Shah, one of the directors at Stoke Your Gratitude C.I.C. is waiting for your email.
Stoke Your Gratitude C.I.C. are open to having conversations with local organisations to develop projects, so please reach out if you are interested.
Where to find Stoke Your Gratitude C.I.C.:
- Website: www.stokeyourgratitude.org.uk
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stokeyourgratitude
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/StokeGratitude
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stokeyourgratitude
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stokeyourgratitude