Happy Healthy YOU
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Kelly Spencer - Happy Healthy YOU
(A wellness column by Kelly Spencer: writer, life coach, yoga & meditation teacher, holistic healer and a mindful life enthusiast!)
Local high schooler Olivia Kyriakopoulos, or 'Liv' as she is fondly called by those that know her, caught me off guard the other day.
My son shared a Facebook video of hers called the “The Appreciation Project.” As I watched the video, a lump formed in my throat, my eyes teared, and my heart swelled. This Grade 12 Glendale student initiated a selfless, inspiring and beautiful project that is sending ripples of positivity through our community.
Her inspiration originated from assisting her sister with an emotionally heavy school project on suicide. As her sister delivered a roleplaying video performance of someone feeling defeated and hopeless, Liv’s compassion (even if the situation was made up) was relatable.
“I remember tears started pouring down my face, simply because I could relate to what she was saying. It’s not easy to love yourself, and hearing these words made me feel as if I wasn’t alone. It was in that moment I realized we all have things we struggle with, even though we may be more aware than others. We get so caught up in what’s wrong about ourselves or our lives in general, that we begin to block ourselves from the positive things in life and forget about those who love and would do anything for us,” said Liv.
Thoughts of people struggling with such pain, got her thinking about, “What is my purpose on this Earth? I think that’s extremely important that everyone put some thought into, at some point in their life.”
Her vision was created from an understanding that life is challenging sometimes and that we all experience stress. She articulates a wisdom that many beyond her years don’t comprehend. Yes, we all have challenges and stress, and within that stress we can get lost and forget to see the beauty that surrounds us, the inspiring people we mingle with and positive gifts we have to be grateful for.
Liv decided that she was going to make it her mission to express appreciation, through the means of an online video, to at least one person every day. She has made it her objective to share with those that have impacted her life and made a positive influence on it, through her appreciation project.
She challenges society’s fear of commitment and expression to our own authentic feelings, suggesting that this fear or worry of our appreciative expression and the potential reciprocal response, creates a block of expression of how we truly feel. The kind stranger, the person you see every day but don’t know that well, but that is giving in some way, or the best friend... all the people in our lives.
Wow. I am blown away by this teenager’s emotional intelligence.
“The whole point of my project is to spread kindness and inspire people to let each other know how much we appreciate them. We never know what someone may be going through, but what I do know is that everyone has the power within themselves to spread positivity and brighten someone’s mood; help people forget about all the stresses and worries in their life.”
Olivia describes the situation as a win-win.
“As much as it feels good to hear kind words from someone, it feels good to give them as well,” she articulates. “You gain happiness by spreading happiness.”
The facts are that appreciation and the expression of, are good for our health, physically and mentally.
Harvard Medical School published research in health benefits of appreciation and gratitude established by two psychologists, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami. In one study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics.
One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation.
Since starting her project, Olivia has had amazing feedback.
“I’ve had people I have never even talked to before message me and approach me in person, and let me know that what I am doing has inspired them and made their day. I even specifically had someone mention to me that their relationship with their parents has gotten much better simply because they opened up and didn’t fear spreading kind thoughts and love for each other. We shouldn’t be afraid to express our feelings towards someone. I feel like in today’s society people rarely give compliments
because it’s taken as 'flirting' or being 'fake.' We need to stop being so worried about what others may think, because we all know what’s right and there’s no better feeling than giving someone a reason to feel good about themselves.”
Can you imagine a world where everyone started to do this just a little bit each day? Can you feel the ripple effect it would have?
Here are some tips that you can do to enhance, expand and engage in your own Project of Appreciation:
1. Start the day off right! Each morning, start your day with thinking of what you appreciate. It can be as simple as the warmth and coziness of your bed.
2. Thank you notes. Whether you are expressing gratitude and appreciation for something small or big, send a note. By email, by social media, by video or good ole fashion hand written note. Even better yet, a live thank you expression... just say it!
3. Count your blessings: Pick a time every week to sit down and write about out your blessings. Reflect on what went right or what and who you are grateful for. Then make it a point to express that appreciation to whoever has assisted that blessings to happen.
By making appreciation and gratitude a personal project in your life, we all are happier and healthier.
If you would like to be inspired by Olivia Kyriakopoulos' videos, search her name on YouTube.
(If you would like to see an article on a specific topic, please email kelly@indigolounge.ca)