Gratitude practice is the fastest and easiest way to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in your everyday life! It has become popular, worldwide, and for great reason! This simple practice of returning to our roots creates life-changing cognitive patterns, enabling us to naturally become optimistic thinkers!
What is Gratitude Practice?
Gratitude is the practice of being grateful for what we have, what we are, what we have achieved, and what those around us mean in our lives. It’s a great mindfulness practice that encourages us to truly realize that we are in a great spot in our lives, despite any current temporary setbacks!
In fact, when we stop to think about the great things that are around us and inside of us, we set of a beneficial chain-reaction in our brains.
When we focus on and remember the good parts of our day, we are activating our hypothalamus, which is the part of our brain that governs our essential bodily functions, like eating, drinking, and sleeping, as well as your metabolism and stress levels!
When we think about that complement from Emilie or the completion of a task and allow ourselves to feel good about it, our bodies release dopamine! Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy and rewards us for feeling happy!
When dopamine is released, it tells our bodies, “That was good! Keep doing that!” In turn, our bodies are naturally programmed to want to think positively all the time! No longer do we have to dwell on that traffic jam or Mary Anne’s snarky attitude! We’ll automatically think about that fantastically warm hug from Allie.
Benefits of Gratitude Practice
Decreased:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Memory Loss
- Aggression
- Anger
Increased:
- Optimism + Hope
- Attention Span
- Memory
- Energy
- Relaxation
- Immune System
- Health
- Sleep Quality
- Self-Esteem
- Goal Achievement
- Empathy
- Relationships + Friendships
- Happiness
- Positivity
Copyright 2015 Jennifer “Aurora Moone” McDonald / All Rights Reserved.
Pingback: 5 Easy Ways to Practice Gratitude » Plentiful Earth