This is a guest post by Linda Hoeck, Career Skills Institute Coordinator

Celebrating… yes, we have reasons to celebrate.

We have been through an unimaginable year suffering through isolation, remote work/school, financial losses, missed holidays, general anxiety, and for many, illness and loss of lives. While this pandemic has severely impacted our lives and puts our daily routine on guard, celebrations are especially important now. And yes, we do have reasons to celebrate. Gratitude for even the smallest things is vital to keep your sanity in check. Gratitude is an amazing tool for stress relief and a positive attitude. When we give thanks for everyday things, we make them more visible. We give our happiness a little boost and train our brains to see the good even amid all the bad. We can then look at milestone events such as birthdays and holidays as a time to create new ways to celebrate rather than focus on a missed traditional way of celebrating. We might even create new traditions. These celebrations help remind us that the future has hope.

The Career Skills Institute Program has put this tool into practice at the start of the day’s WebEx classes. The students and instructors share something good that has happened the previous day or something they are looking forward to for the day ahead. These statements of gratitude bring smiles to the students’ faces and starts off the class on a positive note. We also share how each plan to celebrate upcoming events in new and creative ways. We are now looking forward to planning this year’s Career Skills Institute Graduation.

Want to know more about the Career Skills Institute?
Visit our program page for more details.