Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”— Robert Brault
There is no denying that we’re living in challenging times. Turning on the news can feel like an extreme sport, with its daily updates about ‘the new normal’ creating an abundance of negative thoughts and feelings in us all.
So, even with all this going on, what if I told you that you can improve your level of happiness by making a simple change in your life? It is not even time consuming - it just involves a little tweak in your focus of attention and a small dash of dedication…
I’m talking about gratitude journaling – an increasing trend that can bring about multiple positive effects for a person.
For example, expressing gratitude has been shown to buffer people from stress and depression[1]; improve sleep quality, energy and self-efficacy, even lowering cellular inflammation[2]; enhance peace of mind, reduce rumination, and, effect depressive symptoms[3].
Gratitude helps by shifting our attention away from toxic, negative thinking and towards more positive emotions. When we practice gratitude, we are training our brain to become more in tune with the experience of gratitude, improving our ability to notice the good things around us and benefit from the positive feelings they bring us. It even changes our neurochemistry - each time we express or receive gratitude, a neurotransmitter called Dopamine is released in the brain. This forges a connection between the behaviour of gratitude and feeling good, rewarding us further for the experience.
So how can you focus more on the positive things in your life, even when times are tough? Well… starting a new habit like this can take a little bit of effort and a certain amount of commitment on your part. To help you get started, I’ve created a printable Gratitude Journal to get you through your first 28 days. Even better, for a limited time you can get this for FREE using promo code OctNov2020. Just pop along and help yourself…
And for the record, I'm grateful for you taking the time to read this(!)
References: [1] Wood, Maltby, Gillett, Linley, & Joseph, 2008
[2] Mills, Redwine, Wilson, Pung, Chinh, Greenberg, Lunde, Maisel, & Raisinghani, 2015
[3] Liang, Chen, Li, Wu, Wang, Zheng, & Zeng, 2018 #gratitude #mariedarlow #venuscoaching #gratitudejournal