“Always have an attitude of gratitude!”
You’ve probably heard that a lot. Most of us have. So often in fact it may have become the “attitude of gratitude platitude”. Because really, what good will that do?
Turns out – quite a bit. And for good reason.
Since about the turn of the century, and especially here in the last decade, science has been able to get an increasing good look at the brain as it does business. In that research, we found out that when people exercise simple gratitude, a lot of really amazing stuff happens.
One of the important things that we can see is that certain neurotransmitters in our brain, the things that make it go, are affected – especially the ones we pay attention to for mental health – such as serotonin and dopamine. As we practice gratitude, those chemicals actually increase so that, over time, we just plain feel better about things. Also, our body’s own natural pain killers are increased so that we experience less physical pain. Put all that together, and we are going to be much happier, and function better day to day.
So let’s try something – for the next three weeks, look for 3 things, every day, to be grateful for. I mean three specific things, not just “grateful to be alive today”, because, well, aren’t we all. But three things that you, personally, can be grateful for. If you’re like a lot of people, at the end of the 3 weeks, you’ll be feeling better, even if nothing else changes.
Here’s something interesting – if you’re having a hard time finding those things, don’t worry. Because the studies are showing us that it’s the act of LOOKING for something to be grateful for that does all the magic, whether you actually find anything or not. You know, that’s just cool.
If you’d like to learn more strategies to feel better naturally, and to have a better outlook on life, contact me at Total Life Counseling. I’m looking forward to meeting you.
