Feeling grateful for the good in your life can have a positive impact on your life, your career, and the lives of those around you. According to new findings, gratitude is like an emotional muscle that can be worked on and developed. We can reprogram our brains for gratitude which is wonderful because gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to calm anxiety and reduce stress.
Three ways to strengthen gratitude and reduce stress
- Make a list of all of the positives in your day. The act of writing makes a shift in the brain to focus on the good things, while making the negatives seem less dire.
- Share your gratitude with others. None of us gets enough credit when credits due. Tell your family, friends, taxi driver, or cashier thank you for enhancing your life. A genuine and specific word of recognition is worth its weight in gold. "Thank you for your beautiful smile."
- Start the morning with gratitude. Before you even get out of bed, name one thing you are grateful for. Large or small. "electricity"
As a warm up to gratitude writing, try this Relaxing Pause with Mary Jorgensen at the next break in your work flow.
Photo by Parker Deen