Can you really improve your mental health, physical health and personal relationships, and get better sleep, by doing one simple thing? What about decreasing your aggression or increasing your empathy?
Believe it or not, the answer is "Yes!" ... all of these outcomes are possible with one step.
Is this some magical pill or mechanical contraption? Nope. It's accessible and free! The concept is gratitude.
Research suggests there are scientifically proven benefits to taking time to recognizing the things we are thankful and grateful for in our lives and reflecting on them. The process does not need to be overly complicated and can fit into your daily schedule with moderate ease.
You can start out by thinking of one or two things you're grateful for that happened during the day. Write these moments of gratefulness down in a journal and, as this task becomes more familiar, you can challenge yourself to come up with five things each day. Ideally, you'll find new things to be grateful for and try not to repeat responses.
Positive psychologists point out that practicing gratitude consistently helps to interrupt negative thinking patterns that lead to anxious and depressive thinking and helps to create new neural pathways.
The concept of "neurons that fire together wire together" is at play here, suggesting we can signal to our brain to be more content and happier. By practicing gratitude, your body begins to move into the parasympathetic response and helps to reduce stress hormones like cortisol. This helps to regulate our emotions and frees up space for us to have better relationships, sleep and mental health.
If you want to cultivate even more gratefulness, try to get your friends and family on board. Openly share items from your gratitude list and encourage others to share theirs. The more we open up and normalize taking time to be grateful, the easier it will be.
Grab your pencil and get started now!