Basics in Mindfulness: The Glad technique

The GLAD technique is a basic mindfulness exercise that can be utilized in many ways. I will encourage clients to either set a reminder in their phone to reflect on GLAD daily or will also suggest that they keep a journal in the form of GLAD. GLAD stands for Gratitude, Learning, Accomplishment and Delight.

Gratitude: Practicing gratitude is a great way to help diminish the symptoms of depression. Taking time each day to reflect on something that you are grateful for can help disrupt negative thinking patterns and help you notice more of the positive in life.

Learning: A common phrase I have heard is “You learn something new every day” I think it can be important to reflect on our growth, sometimes it may feel like we are slipping or going backwards, reflecting on what we have learned can help in reducing that feeling. In regards to learning, you can learn something new like a hobby or a particular technique, you can also learn something about yourself or others than you may have thought of before.

Accomplishment: I encourage people to consider that no accomplishment is too big or too small. Simply put, people tend to overlook the small things they are doing to practice self care, or providing assistance to others, even small accomplishments can have a big impact on our mood and overall self esteem.

Delight: Take time to enjoy something, at the core of mindfulness is the awareness of the present, taking delight in something means taking the time to focus in on the sensations transpiring in a specific moment. This means taking time to stop and smell the flowers, or enjoying the quiet time in the morning before the rest of house wakes up. This can also mean, turning the TV off when eating a meal, taking time to focus on the food including the texture, taste and smell of it.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a great concept to learn to help improve our mood, whether we are struggling with depression or anxiety practicing GLAD can provide awareness to some of the positive things going on in our lives, it also provides opportunity to practice self care which can be an essential part in mental health recovery. If you find yourself needing assistance in developing mindfulness techniques or are struggling with depression and anxiety, please do not hesitate to reach out and schedule a free 20 minute consultation.

Dr. John Lloyd