NOTE: This message was emailed to all Ballad Health team members on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Dear Colleague,
As we enter Thanksgiving week, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the role gratitude plays in building strong, healthy teams. When gratitude becomes part of our everyday interactions, it strengthens trust, reduces stress and helps us stay connected to one another – especially during challenging moments.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, this week’s tip invites us to pause, appreciate the good around us and continue cultivating a workplace where kindness and thankfulness are woven into everything we do. Doing so isn’t only great for the overall health of our teams, but it’s also good for our own personal and psychological health.
This week’s Better Begins With Us tip
Gratitude Tip #4: How Gratitude Improves Well-Being
This tip explores the powerful connection between gratitude and our overall health. Research shows that people who consistently practice gratitude experience better physical and psychological wellness. You’ll learn several practical ways to build gratitude into your daily life – such as journaling, expressing thanks, mindful meditation, reflecting on good moments, taking gratitude walks and performing small acts of kindness.
Call to action: Choose one gratitude practice from the tip and incorporate it into your daily routine for an entire week. Try not to miss a day. At the end of the week, reflect on how this new habit influenced your sense of well-being.
3 Good Things
If you’re looking for an easy place to start practicing gratitude, the 3 Good Things exercise is a simple, evidence-based way to boost happiness and strengthen resilience. At the end of each day, jot down three positive things that happened that day – big or small – and reflect on what made them meaningful. This quick practice helps retrain the brain to notice the good more often. You can learn more in the 5 Minute Skill Builder: Three Good Things, located on the Organizational Development SharePoint 5 Minute Skill Builder page.
New B Excellent Podcast
We’re also excited to share a brand-new episode of the B Excellent Podcast. This week, Aaron and Josh travel to Johnson City Medical Center to sit down with JCMC’s new CEO, Rebecca Beck. In their conversation, Rebecca talks about her career journey, her enthusiasm for leading the Johnson City team and how she and her teams at HVMC and IPCH incorporated the B Excellent tips into their daily workflow. It’s an inspiring episode filled with practical insights and valuable leadership perspective. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and on the Practicing Excellence app.
As we close out the Gratitude skill and celebrate Thanksgiving, let’s carry forward the spirit of appreciation that strengthens our culture. Whether it’s recognizing a colleague, reflecting on what’s going well or simply pausing to acknowledge the good in each day, practicing gratitude helps us show up as our best selves for one another and for the patients and families we serve.
Wishing you and your teams a meaningful and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving week.
