“It is not happiness that brings us gratitude. It is gratitude that brings us happiness.”
– Unknown
November is national gratitude month – what a great practice to honor! I’m not a huge fan of quotes cited “unknown” on the internet, but I saw the one above in an article from Positive Psychology and it really resonated with me. I think it’s a great reminder for us all. Read it again. Slowly.
The article I pulled that quote from is about the neuroscience of gratitude. The stuff that happens in the brain when we do something as simple as practicing gratitude is astounding! More and more research is being done around this and the findings indicate that a regular practice of gratitude will lead to whole-being wellness.
Our brains – as amazing as they are – cannot process negative and positive emotions at the same time. And the more we focus on the good stuff, the more our neurons become like lemmings – duplicating and following right along. Folks who practice gratitude get better quality sleep, experience less pain and report lower levels of stress, all resulting in increased psychological health.
Have you ever incorporated a practice of gratitude into your daily routine? Nowadays, it’s easier than ever with plenty of free apps on our smartphones or tools online to help us get this practice started. If this seems like something you’d want, but you’re still not sure, check out some of these TED talks on the power of gratitude in our lives! When we are going through tough times in life, and things feel dark and grim, it can feel impossible to think of things to be grateful for. This is where I challenge you the most. Don’t forget those things we often take for granted, like waking up each new day.
Several years ago I read “The Happiness Advantage” by Shawn Achor. Sometime later, I came across an article he wrote for the Harvard Business Review called The Happiness Dividend about how to increase the sense of happiness in our daily lives. I printed the article, cut out this exercise, and tacked it up on my desk. It has been at every desk I have had since 2016. Notice that it begins and ends with gratitude. For a while, I was in a great habit of practicing The Happiness Dividend exercise daily and I definitely noticed an increased sense of joy each day; I think it’s time for me to get back into this practice.
Happy gratitude month to you all! I am incredibly grateful you are here, reading my thoughts, allowing me the privilege of playing a tiny role along your journey through this life. If you would like some support getting started in your own gratitude practice, please reach out. Through mindset coaching and intentional paradigm shifts, we can rewire the neurons firing in your brain, and increase your all-around health substantially.
We are gifted with 86,400 seconds in each new day; are you using at least a few of those seconds to express gratitude?
Have ideas for what you’d like me to cover in 2023? Send me an email & I’ll work it into my schedule as I’m planning these next few months! me@elizabethlenherr.com