CHATS Utah

Child, Adolescent, and Adult Treatment Specialists

Now offering Autism, ADHD, and Psycho-educational assessments for children and adults. Please contact us for further details. We are pleased to let you know that teletherapy is one of the many services we offer. Please contact our office manager for more information. For Questions or to Make an Appointment call 801-756-1626

Shrink Rap: Increasing Happiness Over the Summer Through Random Acts of Kindness

Small changes can have big effects.  When I was in graduate school we learned that it is through tiny changes that people are able to make bigger and more positive shifts in their lives.  

Research has shown that individuals who engage in even small acts of kindness toward others increase their own happiness.  In a study by Sonja Lyubomirsky that is cited in Sean Achor’s work, small acts of kindness such as sending a positive email increase the givers happiness significantly.  Additionally,  Sean Achor’s work purports that kindness towards others and subsequent happiness has a ripple effect. When we are kind to others, those others are kind to others and so on and so on.  We have all heard those news stories of long strings of people in fast food windows who pay for the cars behind them because others have paid for them.  I still remember working as a young sales clerk at a small store when I was very pregnant with my first child at a time when money was in short supply.  A stranger left 50 dollars  at the front desk in an envelope with my name on it with a note  that it was to help out with the new baby.  I felt such gratitude and love and felt a great desire to return the favor when possible. On our office Pinterest page I included a board labeled “Kindness”.  Feel free to visit this board for hundreds of ideas on small, doable acts of kindness. I believe kindness is an important value for both the giver and the receiver and has the potential to influence the world for good.  I love the quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”  

The following video illustrates the importance of kindness as well as it’s ripple effect.  The first part discusses the importance of kindness.  Don’t miss the second half of the video where there is a lovely representation of kindness.  The subtitle on this video states, “One act of kindness can have unknown and profound consequences.”

After watching the video and considering all the kids and teenagers who will be out of school for the summer, as well as adults who may be on vacation, I thought what would be better than increasing our children and our own happiness levels by encouraging and participating in small random acts of kindness.  Here is a quick list of ideas to get you started: 

  1. Every time you open up any form of social media send a positive message/text/tweet/picture/etc. to praise or thank someone you may not routinely message.  
  2. Write a positive note to anyone who may frequently provide service for you (garbage collector, teacher, babysitter, religious advisor, waitress, food service worker, etc.)
  3. Put change/money in a candy/gum/candy/snack machine at a grocery store or place of work. 
  4. Put a positive note or dollar bill in a beloved book at the library.  
  5. Rake, weed, do yard work for an elderly neighbor. 
  6. Put change in parking meters. 
  7. Make lunches for a homeless facility (check with the facility first to find out how they would like you to do this). 
  8. Get a group together  to sing or perform at a retirement facility (call the facility first to check needs and times).
  9. go to family reunions and really communicate and get to know your cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and other relatives. 
  10. Take chilled bottled water and/or popsicles to a parade and give them out to thirsty or over-heated people for free (with parental permission of course).  
  11. Call someone you haven’t contacted recently.  
  12. Hold doors open for people 
  13. Let someone go ahead of you in line. 
  14. Tell your parents thank-you for something you don’t usually thank them for. 
  15. Donate clothing or toys to a thrift store. 
  16. Give a compliment
  17. Return a shopping cart for someone. 
  18. Carry around snacks, drinks in the car to give to homeless people. 
  19. Draw a picture and send it to someone. 
  20. Smile!

“When we practice loving kindness and compassion we are the first ones to profit.”Rumi

Let’s make this summer the summer of kindness and increased happiness!

Shrink Rap: Using Gratitude to Increase Happiness

As the leaves fall from the tree outside my office and the world changes color from shades of green to shades of gold, orange and brown, my thoughts turn toward thanksgiving and gratitude (as well as toward the fast approaching Season of Giving).

“Gratitude is derived from the Latin gratia, meaning grace, graciousness, or gratefulness.  All derivations from the Latin root ‘have to do with kindness, generosity, gifts, the beauty of giving and receiving, or getting something for nothing’ (Pruyser, 1976, p.69).  As a psychological state gratitude is a felt sense of wonder, thankfulness and appreciation for life.” (Emmons and Shelton)

With the emergence of the positive psychology movement, gratitude has relatively recently come to the forefront as a psychological principle.  According to research in the positive psychology realm, gratitude can help people cope with negative life-events, help people feel generally more positive and optimistic, and increases individual sense of health and wellbeing.

The following Tedtalk, by Shawn Achor, author of “The Happiness Advantage”, is an entertaining summary of happiness research at Harvard University.  He lists the following five areas that can create lasting individual positive change:

  1. List 3 specific things you are grateful for each day for 21 days.  (Emmons and McCullough, 2003). Dr. Achor asserts that this practice rewires your brain to work more successfully and optimistically.
  2. Journal about one positive experience a day.  This allows your brain to re-live the experience. (Stratcher and Pennebaker, 2006).
  3. Exercise. This teaches your brain your behavior matters.  (Babyak, et al.  2000).
  4. Meditation.  This allows your brain to focus on the task at hand.  (Dweck, 2007).
  5. Random Acts of Kindness/Conscious acts of Kindness (Lyubominsky, 2005).

Shawn Achor states, based on research, if we do the above noted 5 activities we can alter our own levels of happiness.

Watch it on YouTube.com

The first item on Dr. Achor’s list has to do with gratitude.  It includes scanning the past 24 hours each day and noting the top three specific things that occurred that day that you are most grateful for and why.  You can write them down on anything and in any format.  It is most helpful if they are different each day, specific to that day, and include why you are grateful for that particular item or event. It might also be helpful to find a specific time each day that works for you to record the things you are grateful for.

A few examples might be, I am grateful for…

…the fresh apple cider my brother-in-law brought me from his family’s apple farm.  It was so cool and crisp and so kind of him to think of me.

…my daughter’s wrist not actually being fractured.  I am glad she will heal and not have lasting problems.

…the beautiful sunset I enjoyed with my husband as we sat on our front porch and talked.  It was so bright and colorful and I liked sharing the experience with someone I care about.

Shawn Achor concludes that as we train our brain to scan the environment for the good, it strengthens the neuro-pathways that support us looking and seeing the good in our lives. The more we practice it, the easier it becomes to find things in our lives that are positive and meaningful and that we can appreciate.

We are thankful for each other at the Child, Adolescent and Adult Treatment Specialists.  We are grateful for the support we feel and give to each other and for the beauty, strength and humanity of each of our individual clients.  We wish you the best of this season.

We hope anyone that comes across this blog will join us in this 21day gratitude challenge that helps us focus on the good and promotes a greater sense of happiness and wellbeing.

Achor, S. (2010) The Happiness Advantage: The seven principles of positive psychology that find success and performance at work.
Emmons R. A. & Crumplor, G.A. (2000)
Gratitude as human strength; Appraising the evidence. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 19, 56-69.
Emmons R. A. & McCullough, M. E. (2003).
Counting blessings versus burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-being in Daily Life. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 84, 377-389.
Emmons R. A. & Shelton, C. M. (2002).
Gratitude & Science of Positive Psychology. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.) Handbook of Positive Psychology (pp. 459-471), New York: Oxford University Press.
Pruyser P.W. (1976).
The minister as diagnostician; Personal problems in pastoral perspective
Philadelphia, Westminster, 1976.

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Address:
796 E. Pacific Drive, Ste. B
American Fork, Utah 84003
Phone: 801-756-1626
Fax: 801-756-5141


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As of January 1, 2022, all healthcare providers are required to provide estimates for the costs of your care. The Good Faith Estimate shows the cost of items and services that are reasonably expected for your healthcare needs and treatment. This will be provided by this office upon scheduling and/or as requested. This Good Faith Estimate does not include unexpected costs that could arise during treatment.

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