Selected Podcast
Ep. 7: The Link Between Gratitude and Wellbeing
Roxanna Gapstur, President and CEO of WellSpan Health, and Dr. Catherine Heilman share how to develop a gratitude mindset.
Featuring:
In January 2019, Roxanna Gapstur assumed the role of President and CEO of WellSpan Health. She has over 25 years of healthcare leadership experience working in group practice, academic, and integrated health care systems which included health plan operations. Prior to her appointment at WellSpan, Dr. Gapstur was a senior vice president and president within the HealthPartners system in Bloomington, Minn.
Dr. Gapstur has extensive experience in strategic planning, business development and operational leadership in both ambulatory and hospital settings. She has served in multiple executive roles including chief operating officer, chief nursing officer and as a senior executive accountable for population health.
Dr. Gapstur obtained her bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn., and her master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
She was named a “Top 35 Women in Healthcare Leader” by Minnesota Women’s Health Leadership Trust in 2014. Dr. Gapstur has participated as a member and president of non-profit boards, including the Greater Twin Cities United Way, Minnesota Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation and the Minnesota Organization of Leaders in Nursing.
Catherine Heilman, MD | Roxanna Gapstur, PhD, RN
Catherine Heilman, MD is a family physician in our WellSpan East Berlin and WellSpan Cross Keys Practices.In January 2019, Roxanna Gapstur assumed the role of President and CEO of WellSpan Health. She has over 25 years of healthcare leadership experience working in group practice, academic, and integrated health care systems which included health plan operations. Prior to her appointment at WellSpan, Dr. Gapstur was a senior vice president and president within the HealthPartners system in Bloomington, Minn.
Dr. Gapstur has extensive experience in strategic planning, business development and operational leadership in both ambulatory and hospital settings. She has served in multiple executive roles including chief operating officer, chief nursing officer and as a senior executive accountable for population health.
Dr. Gapstur obtained her bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn., and her master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Minnesota.
She was named a “Top 35 Women in Healthcare Leader” by Minnesota Women’s Health Leadership Trust in 2014. Dr. Gapstur has participated as a member and president of non-profit boards, including the Greater Twin Cities United Way, Minnesota Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation and the Minnesota Organization of Leaders in Nursing.
Transcription:
Roxanna Gapstur: It's the time of year for giving thanks. And today we're talking about gratitude, specifically, how we can develop a gratitude mindset and apply it all year round to improve our health. So we'll talk about the definition of gratitude, how having a gratitude mindset can improve our wellbeing, and ways we can practice it throughout the year. Joining me today is Dr. Catherine Heilman. She's a Family Physician in our WellSpan East Berlin and WellSpan Cross Keys practices in York and Adams counties. She's been practicing medicine for more than 20 years, and she's a member of WellSpan Medical Group's Wellbeing Council. Welcome Dr. Heilman.
Dr. Heilman: Thank you for inviting me in, and it's very good to talk to you today.
Host: When we began preparing for this episode and asking around for a guest recommendation, your name Rose to the top of the list, your colleagues see you as someone who has embraced the practice of gratitude all year round. So I'm interested in hearing your definition of gratitude.
Dr. Heilman: Thank you. It's really kind that they thought of me. And I do agree that gratitude is so important in our day to day life. I would say my definition is the expression of thanks and appreciation and recognizing these positive things and people around us.
Host: I really liked that description of gratitude. When I think about gratitude, I think of the things that have made such a difference in my life, my family, my friends, my career, my children, certainly. And so it always gives me such a warm feeling when I think about those special people, but for each of us, the definition of gratitude could be a little bit different. And the most important takeaway is that whatever your definition, there's a wellness benefit to expressing gratitude and having a gratitude mindset.
Dr. Heilman: Definitely I agree, a hundred percent. When I was a teenager, my father would say, never end the day without thanking those who helped you get there. And what he meant was thank the people that got you through your day, but also thank the people that lifted you up. And that helped in other ways. And this one piece of advice has made me more approachable and more real to others around me. And I absolutely know that this has made a difference and helped with avoiding burnout because of that positive feeling that I get.
Host: I'm so glad you raised that point, Cathy, physician burnout is a real thing. And we've talked about it before on this podcast with your colleague, Dr. Rich Salter. We know that as many as 60% of physicians report being burned out and it has consequences for our physicians and for our patients. So let's talk about what the science says about gratitude and wellbeing.
Dr. Heilman: There has been a lot of writing about wellbeing and its association and relationship with gratitude. A lot of authors have found that experiencing gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation tends to foster positive feelings. And that leads to a better sense of one's wellbeing. And these experiments have proven that this applies to students, adolescents, and adults. And so this strong association between gratitude and life satisfaction carries through with all of us.
Host: Wow. What does that mean? What does experiencing gratitude look like?
Dr. Heilman: That is a kind of tricky question. The truth is that we all have a different disposition towards experiencing gratitude. And there are some assessments. There are questionnaires that are in the literature, which can help us determine our disposition. So for today's discussion, we're going to use one called the Emmons Gratitude Questionnaire. It's a six item form, and sometimes shorted to GQ six, if you see that in the literature, but the questionnaire asks the people, taking the test to rate their agreement or disagreement with six statements that are positively related to optimism, life satisfaction, hope, spirituality, or religiousness, forgiveness, empathy, it's all the positive social behaviors. And then negatively, it seems to be less associated with depression, anxiety, and via materialism.
Host: Okay. I think our listeners would really value taking the questionnaire as they listen. They could even pause the recording if they need to.
Dr. Heilman: So, for each of the following six statements, the listeners should want to consider their agreement or disagreement. On a seven point scale, one would be strongly disagree. Two would be disagree. Three slightly disagree. Four is neutral. Five would be slightly agree. Six agree, and seven would be strongly agree. So in order to do this, you want to jot down your rating score on one to seven for each of these following six statements. Number one, I have so much in life for which to be thankful. And number two, if I had a list of everything that I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list. Number three, when I look at the world, I don't see much for which to be grateful. Number four, I am grateful to a wide variety of people. Number five, as I get older, I find myself more able to appreciate the people, events and situations that have been part of my life history. And the last question, number six, long amounts of time can go by before I feel grateful to something or someone. So hopefully everyone should have six scores now. The next thing is you add up the scores for number one, two, four, and five, and get a subtotal. And then after you've done that, take your scores for number three and six, and you're going to reverse them. So if you scored a seven, move it to one and vice versa. If you did a six move to two, and then if you had a five, move to three, and again, vice-versa. Now add those reverse scores for those two questions to the subtotal that you started with. And that would be your total GQ six. So this number can be anywhere between six and 42.
Host: Oh, wow. Cathy I've been following along and I'm sure our listeners have too. What does the score tell us?
Dr. Heilman: Okay. The score itself tells us where we are in our ability to feel gratitude. There's not really a good or bad score. If you have a high score, then you're more disposed to feeling gratitude. And if you have a lower score, it means there's more opportunity to build up your gratitude, your recognition.
Host: That's a great way to look at it. So how do we build our gratitude muscles?
Dr. Heilman: There are lots of different ways to do it. And there's lots in the literature. People that tend to be quiet may like things like journaling or meditating or praying. People that are more outgoing, just going out and telling the people and spending more time with people for whom you're grateful. Writing a thank you note, or just making a list. I have gotten into the habit of rounding on my staff on a regular basis. And as part of my questions I ask, is there anyone that you would like to recognize or appreciate this month? And usually they give me someone else on the staff or somewhere else in WellSpan, and I've started writing thank you notes to them. And it's usually three or four sentences of just, someone recognized you, what it was for. And we really appreciate having you as part of our team. And you would not believe how much of a difference it has made for the staff at our office. Some of them keep them in their lockers and they pin them on a bulletin board if they have a fixed location. And it's clear that doing this has made a very big difference in our practice.
Host: Oh, that's a great story. Those are excellent examples of things that we could do every day. And Cathy, we know your patients are very grateful for you because we see it in their reviews. When we read some of your recent patient experience scores, we see over and over again, you're a great listener and you're very kind. Do you think your gratitude mindset makes you a better physician?
Dr. Heilman: Thank you for that. But definitely I do think that being grateful makes a big difference. I think when you recognize others for their good work, the good things that they're doing, it makes them happier and it reinforces the good that they're already doing. So their good actions become great. It reflects on the whole team around them. I think we all want to see that we're making a difference and people want to be recognized for what they do.
Host: Yes, that's so true. So much of our ability here at WellSpan to be a trusted partner to our communities is really built around the relationships that our providers have with their patients. And I'm confident that your authentic commitment to gratitude is a reason that you've built such trusting relationships, Cathy. I'm grateful to you for modeling the way for the rest of us. So let's recap our exploration of gratitude. Gratitude can summed up as our personal appreciation for what is valuable and meaningful. And while we may each appreciate and value life differently, we can improve our wellbeing by practicing gratitude as we define it for ourselves. And finally, we can strengthen our disposition to gratitude by practicing appreciation through journaling, sending letters of gratitude, and practicing saying thank you in a sincere and meaningful way. Cathy, I'm very grateful to you for joining me today. Thank you for being here.
Dr. Heilman: Thank you so much for having me.
Host: That's all the time we have for today. We hope you'll join us for the next episode of Inspiring Health.
Roxanna Gapstur: It's the time of year for giving thanks. And today we're talking about gratitude, specifically, how we can develop a gratitude mindset and apply it all year round to improve our health. So we'll talk about the definition of gratitude, how having a gratitude mindset can improve our wellbeing, and ways we can practice it throughout the year. Joining me today is Dr. Catherine Heilman. She's a Family Physician in our WellSpan East Berlin and WellSpan Cross Keys practices in York and Adams counties. She's been practicing medicine for more than 20 years, and she's a member of WellSpan Medical Group's Wellbeing Council. Welcome Dr. Heilman.
Dr. Heilman: Thank you for inviting me in, and it's very good to talk to you today.
Host: When we began preparing for this episode and asking around for a guest recommendation, your name Rose to the top of the list, your colleagues see you as someone who has embraced the practice of gratitude all year round. So I'm interested in hearing your definition of gratitude.
Dr. Heilman: Thank you. It's really kind that they thought of me. And I do agree that gratitude is so important in our day to day life. I would say my definition is the expression of thanks and appreciation and recognizing these positive things and people around us.
Host: I really liked that description of gratitude. When I think about gratitude, I think of the things that have made such a difference in my life, my family, my friends, my career, my children, certainly. And so it always gives me such a warm feeling when I think about those special people, but for each of us, the definition of gratitude could be a little bit different. And the most important takeaway is that whatever your definition, there's a wellness benefit to expressing gratitude and having a gratitude mindset.
Dr. Heilman: Definitely I agree, a hundred percent. When I was a teenager, my father would say, never end the day without thanking those who helped you get there. And what he meant was thank the people that got you through your day, but also thank the people that lifted you up. And that helped in other ways. And this one piece of advice has made me more approachable and more real to others around me. And I absolutely know that this has made a difference and helped with avoiding burnout because of that positive feeling that I get.
Host: I'm so glad you raised that point, Cathy, physician burnout is a real thing. And we've talked about it before on this podcast with your colleague, Dr. Rich Salter. We know that as many as 60% of physicians report being burned out and it has consequences for our physicians and for our patients. So let's talk about what the science says about gratitude and wellbeing.
Dr. Heilman: There has been a lot of writing about wellbeing and its association and relationship with gratitude. A lot of authors have found that experiencing gratitude, thankfulness and appreciation tends to foster positive feelings. And that leads to a better sense of one's wellbeing. And these experiments have proven that this applies to students, adolescents, and adults. And so this strong association between gratitude and life satisfaction carries through with all of us.
Host: Wow. What does that mean? What does experiencing gratitude look like?
Dr. Heilman: That is a kind of tricky question. The truth is that we all have a different disposition towards experiencing gratitude. And there are some assessments. There are questionnaires that are in the literature, which can help us determine our disposition. So for today's discussion, we're going to use one called the Emmons Gratitude Questionnaire. It's a six item form, and sometimes shorted to GQ six, if you see that in the literature, but the questionnaire asks the people, taking the test to rate their agreement or disagreement with six statements that are positively related to optimism, life satisfaction, hope, spirituality, or religiousness, forgiveness, empathy, it's all the positive social behaviors. And then negatively, it seems to be less associated with depression, anxiety, and via materialism.
Host: Okay. I think our listeners would really value taking the questionnaire as they listen. They could even pause the recording if they need to.
Dr. Heilman: So, for each of the following six statements, the listeners should want to consider their agreement or disagreement. On a seven point scale, one would be strongly disagree. Two would be disagree. Three slightly disagree. Four is neutral. Five would be slightly agree. Six agree, and seven would be strongly agree. So in order to do this, you want to jot down your rating score on one to seven for each of these following six statements. Number one, I have so much in life for which to be thankful. And number two, if I had a list of everything that I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list. Number three, when I look at the world, I don't see much for which to be grateful. Number four, I am grateful to a wide variety of people. Number five, as I get older, I find myself more able to appreciate the people, events and situations that have been part of my life history. And the last question, number six, long amounts of time can go by before I feel grateful to something or someone. So hopefully everyone should have six scores now. The next thing is you add up the scores for number one, two, four, and five, and get a subtotal. And then after you've done that, take your scores for number three and six, and you're going to reverse them. So if you scored a seven, move it to one and vice versa. If you did a six move to two, and then if you had a five, move to three, and again, vice-versa. Now add those reverse scores for those two questions to the subtotal that you started with. And that would be your total GQ six. So this number can be anywhere between six and 42.
Host: Oh, wow. Cathy I've been following along and I'm sure our listeners have too. What does the score tell us?
Dr. Heilman: Okay. The score itself tells us where we are in our ability to feel gratitude. There's not really a good or bad score. If you have a high score, then you're more disposed to feeling gratitude. And if you have a lower score, it means there's more opportunity to build up your gratitude, your recognition.
Host: That's a great way to look at it. So how do we build our gratitude muscles?
Dr. Heilman: There are lots of different ways to do it. And there's lots in the literature. People that tend to be quiet may like things like journaling or meditating or praying. People that are more outgoing, just going out and telling the people and spending more time with people for whom you're grateful. Writing a thank you note, or just making a list. I have gotten into the habit of rounding on my staff on a regular basis. And as part of my questions I ask, is there anyone that you would like to recognize or appreciate this month? And usually they give me someone else on the staff or somewhere else in WellSpan, and I've started writing thank you notes to them. And it's usually three or four sentences of just, someone recognized you, what it was for. And we really appreciate having you as part of our team. And you would not believe how much of a difference it has made for the staff at our office. Some of them keep them in their lockers and they pin them on a bulletin board if they have a fixed location. And it's clear that doing this has made a very big difference in our practice.
Host: Oh, that's a great story. Those are excellent examples of things that we could do every day. And Cathy, we know your patients are very grateful for you because we see it in their reviews. When we read some of your recent patient experience scores, we see over and over again, you're a great listener and you're very kind. Do you think your gratitude mindset makes you a better physician?
Dr. Heilman: Thank you for that. But definitely I do think that being grateful makes a big difference. I think when you recognize others for their good work, the good things that they're doing, it makes them happier and it reinforces the good that they're already doing. So their good actions become great. It reflects on the whole team around them. I think we all want to see that we're making a difference and people want to be recognized for what they do.
Host: Yes, that's so true. So much of our ability here at WellSpan to be a trusted partner to our communities is really built around the relationships that our providers have with their patients. And I'm confident that your authentic commitment to gratitude is a reason that you've built such trusting relationships, Cathy. I'm grateful to you for modeling the way for the rest of us. So let's recap our exploration of gratitude. Gratitude can summed up as our personal appreciation for what is valuable and meaningful. And while we may each appreciate and value life differently, we can improve our wellbeing by practicing gratitude as we define it for ourselves. And finally, we can strengthen our disposition to gratitude by practicing appreciation through journaling, sending letters of gratitude, and practicing saying thank you in a sincere and meaningful way. Cathy, I'm very grateful to you for joining me today. Thank you for being here.
Dr. Heilman: Thank you so much for having me.
Host: That's all the time we have for today. We hope you'll join us for the next episode of Inspiring Health.