Do You Have An Attitude Of Gratitude?
Isn’t it easy to think of what we are thankful for mostly around the holidays, especially Thanksgiving?
Yet research tells us that just focusing on what we are grateful for can boost our mood, and energy levels significantly. Moreover, it is hard to worry, feel anxiety or be in a bad mood when we are counting our blessings instead of our depressings.
The mind is a magnificent machine, and it will respond to whatever we tell it and especially to whatever we dwell on. Got some problems or stressors that are getting you down, robbing you of joy, and occupying all that real estate between your ears?
Most of us do, however we have to give our brain a break from dwelling on the negatives if we are going to be reasonably mentally and emotionally well.
This gets tricky as we all have a brain that tends to hone in on what is wrong, what we don’t like, what we wish was different and what stresses us out. If we let our thoughts stay there constantly however, we will not only be in a bad mood and have decreased energy, but this kind of endless chewing on these thoughts actually can leave us feeling depressed and /or anxious.
To turn this around, you will need to practice intentionally thinking about your thinking.
When you begin to refocus on what is true, what is good, what you are thankful for, your body actually produces different hormones, and you induce a more calm and relaxed state.
Here’s some additional ways to incorporate more gratitude into your every day.
1. Express your gratitude upon awakening… in a prayer, or by saying aloud what you are grateful for, or by recording three things you are grateful for in a journal.
2. Thank the person, or source. For example, if you are a religious or spiritual person, you might say thank you God that today I woke up, I have a job, and my kids are healthy. Thank you ______ for providing ________. I am grateful.
3. Take a midday break for the purpose of pondering. Even a short 5-10 minute break to reflect on what you have to be grateful for can be a great afternoon mind reset. With a spirit of gratitude you can then return to your work or family roles and responsibilities.
4. End each day reflecting and journaling- The things we are grateful for can be things we often take for granted. Consider focusing on thankfulness that you can see, or hear, or work, or play… that you have food today or a place to live.
Many of the everyday things we take for granted, are things that other people do not have.
Yes, problems and challenges will be with us always, however in the midst of the storm if you look for it, you can find a silver lining of things to be grateful for. This one act alone, can bring back a lot of long lost joy from your life if you will practice this and adopt it as a new way of life.
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