KarunaNews Story

Research shows that when parents nurture their own well-being, they help their children flourish. While parents need large-scale support, like paid parental leave policies and access to high-quality early child care, simple practices that tend to our social and emotional well-being can also nurture our well-being. Practicing gratitude is good for our happiness and life satisfaction, reduces anxiety and depression, strengthens the immune system, lowers blood pressure, and helps us sleep better. And recent studies have shown that when parents fill up their cups with gratitude, their families reap the benefits through a ripple effect. While parents are already busy, a simple practice like writing a gratitude letter or in a gratitude journal, or just taking a few moments for a gratitude reflection at the end of the workday, can be doable and effective in strengthening our own well-being and family relationships.