Mindfulness Mondays; Episode 2: Gratitude - I Will Hold Space For Your Darkness Podcast bonus series.

Welcome to I Will Hold Space For Your Darkness; a First Responder Mental Health Podcast hosted by Erin Jane. A former Australian Police Officer and Detective, wife of an American Firefighter, previous crisis counsellor for a suicide prevention organization and current CISM trained, certified Life and Wellness Coach for First Responders, Emergency Services Members, Spouses and Loved Ones. This episode is part of a bonus series, Mindfulness Mondays. This week, I talk about the notion of "gratitude", inspired by my recent birthday and how achieving a new milestone can give you pause to reflect on the things in this life we're grateful for. We know as First Responders and Emergency Services Members, it's easy to become complacent. To let the awful things we see allow us to become jaded and cynical, missing out on seeing the beauty in the little things and remembering to take a moment to be grateful for the good things in life, instead of focusing on the negative. I speak about the empirical research, backing up the health benefits of practicing gratitude, whether that's writing it down, making a mental checklist or speaking it out loud, even expressing it to those we are grateful to have in our lives. And the process having a positive leaning perspective can have on our brains. So this week, after listening to this episode, I challenge you to take just 5 minutes; sit somewhere quietly and deeply think about and reflect on the aspects of your life that perhaps bring you joy and you find yourself feeling the most grateful for. If one of those things is a person, dare to be brave enough to share your thoughts and feelings of gratitude with them. I'm excited to continue this bonus series of episodes, to compliment (not replace!) the wonderful conversations I am privileged to have and to share some brilliant resources with you, moving forward. If there's some kind of practice you'd like me to share on here, or a particular mindfulness narrative you would find beneficial, please reach out. Otherwise, please feel free to reach out if you'd like a topic discussed, would like to be a guest or are interested in receiving coaching services from Erin Jane. Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.erinjanecoaching.com/⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/erinjanecoaching⁠⁠⁠ Call or Text: +1 617 396 4695 You can watch the episodes as video on YouTube here: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@Erin-Jane-Coaching?si=XI8q0z3mhmzO_a7_⁠⁠ Feel free to watch, listen, share and subscribe!