An attitude of gratitude

You have probably heard this before, but have you tried the idea that gratitude can positively affect your health?

It seems too easy, doesn’t it?

“…Oh, so I just have to be thankful for the shitty things in my life, and I will be ok?”

Well, kinda.

Our lovely, excellent (also a bit messed up) brains love to focus on the negative—you know, we’d better keep alert for the bears, tigers, and lions type of thing. Because if we don’t stay alert, we will be eaten, so to speak. This is also called negative bias—and it does work—because you are alive right now because of it! So I guess we have to have an appreciation for it—yes! Gratitude for our negative ways!

The emotions of fear and gratitude are created in the brain (oh, and the heart and gut—but we can go there another day). While gratitude doesn’t eliminate fear entirely, it can help alleviate it by promoting positive emotions, improving emotional regulation, and enhancing resilience. In this way, gratitude is a powerful tool for managing fear and anxiety.

To add to this, www.positivepsychology.com states:

“Gratitude impacts on mental and physical wellbeing. Positive psychology and mental health researchers in the past few decades have established an overwhelming connection between gratitude and good health. Keeping a gratitude journal causes less stress, improves the quality of sleep, and builds emotional awareness (Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005).

Gratitude is positively correlated to more vitality, energy, and enthusiasm to work harder.”

Have you actually tried a gratitude practice? I mean one that requires effort and consistency.

I have some ideas below for you – that have 100% helped my life:

• Journal listing 10 things to be thankful for before you head to sleep
• Make a mental list whilst you’re in the shower, appreciating the good things in your life.
• You lay in bed before you wake and think to yourself, ” Oh, I am so warm and cosy in my bed; I am safe; there is food in the fridge and a roof over my head…”
• Taking moments throughout the day (we call these Glimmers) to appreciate the sun through the trees, the sound of the ocean, or kids playing evokes a sense of calm, safety, and comfort.
• Take a gratitude walk in nature – appreciate the natural beauty of your surroundings.
• Meditation body scan – I teach this in my meditation classes most days. Close the eyes and scan down through the body from the top of the head to the tips of the toes. Thank each area, organ, emotion, and limb as you move through the body. Show appreciation as you move through the physical body, and you can even say ‘thank you’ on repeat as you move through it. Don’t forget to give an extra loud thank you to areas that may not work to your desired level…!

As you can see, all of these practices are free. They simply require a conscious effort to focus—even for a minute or so.

What do you have to lose? And don’t let me hear you say, “I’m not very good at these practices…” because they are practices and need practice!! Stick to them consistently—perhaps for a week—and see how your mental health improves. I can safely bet it will improve, and success leaves clues—you do it again!

I would love to share my new EQ Method with you. After years of developing this protocol, I am now opening my books online to take people through a six-week change process. If this is something of interest to you, please comment with the word “CHANGE,” and I will be in touch for a chat.

Much love

Emma x