How is it possible that gratitude brings happiness into your life? It is important to understand that what you focus on will come to pass.
If you practice gratitude daily you are training the mind to have a more positive outlook. As a result, you will find that there are some rather interesting physical implications.
Research has found that when you practice gratitude and positive thinking there is a direct effect on the brain’s chemistry.
It seems that when we focus on gratitude certain chemicals are released in the brain that has a positive effect on us both physically and mentally.
There are several reasons for this so let’s see how that works.
Gratitude Brings Happiness and Feel-Good Hormones Are Released
When we focus on gratitude it seems that there is a release of two feel-good hormones: dopamine and serotonin. These are neurotransmitters that are responsible for us feeling good about ourselves and our lives in general.
These hormones are also released when we exercise or eat chocolate. However, we can very simply release these hormones through the simple act of giving and receiving gratitude.
The point here is that you can make your own happiness! In fact, it is not only a mental exercise. When we focus on positive thoughts we are actually making a conscious effort to be more grateful for what we have in our lives.
As a result, we feel happy and this changes the balance of hormones and neurotransmitters that are released in the brain and our bodies.
So by practicing, gratitude brings happiness and we end up feeling better about our lives. This is a powerful way to get rid of depression and anxiety.
Not only does this technique work better than a lot of prescription drugs, but there are also no nasty side effects to have to contend with.
Gratitude Brings Happiness So You Have Fewer Stress Hormones
The body will release stress hormones when you get anxious or scared. These hormones are cortisol and adrenaline and others.
Although this is not a bad thing because it helps you to be able to react faster when you are in danger.
When they kick in you can run faster and get away from the danger.
However, this can work against you. It can actually steal your health and well-being when it is a response to something that isn’t actually a physical danger.
When you are worrying about finances or how you are doing on your job you don’t want to be running stress hormones.
The downside of running stress hormones is that this can lead to weight gain, depression, or anxiety. The result is a toll on your heart and the rest of your body.
I’m sure you already know that you need to reduce the amount of stress you deal with daily in your life. As it turns out, one of the most important strategies is practicing gratitude and positive thinking.
When you do this you will be able to see that gratitude brings happiness. And this means that you will be doing wonders for your mental and physical health.
Do you want to know what the bottom line is? It’s that when you are mindful of all the things in your life that you are grateful for and when you learn to appreciate all that is good even in the midst of your challenges, you can cultivate happiness.
You will be able to stop waiting for the right person or the right circumstances. As well, you will also be able to stop waiting for happiness to find you.
You will in fact be able to create the best life you could imagine.
All you have to do is choose happiness now. At this very moment!
All you have to do is use gratitude to help you achieve happiness.
Can Gratitude Brings Happiness Even When Your Life is Falling Apart?
Do you take a lot of good things in your life for granted? Do you take for granted that you have a roof over your head, a good job that pays well, the ability to spend time with friends and family?
Although the specifics may vary, in this modern world of ours there are many advances, many pretty awesome things that we can count on having. For the most part, we don’t have to deal with things not working out.
However, when a challenge shows up we often get caught up in the pattern of thinking that we are lacking or that everything is hopeless.
Often the challenges come as a result of some choice we made. Often those challenges may be out of our control. Regardless, we can decide how to react when it comes to the challenges.
It is important to remember that no matter what challenge you have to face we need to remember how truly blessed we really are. By using gratitude we can turn what we have into enough!
Here is a quote by Melody Beattie that says it all:
All you have to do is to start to think about how you are going to do this every day. One place to start is by simply taking a deep breath, pausing at the moment when challenges show up.
Take a moment at that time to think about all the things you have to be grateful for in your life. It can be as simple as being able to breathe fresh air or it can about being grateful for the family you have or that you get to live to fight another day!
Find whatever it is that you are grateful for and then start building on that something. What other areas of our life are you grateful to have? You can make a mental list of these items or you can start a list on your phone or computer.
With this list, you will be able to start to see your way clear from the challenge, no matter how bad things look at the moment. It is important to note here that something really wonderful might come from the challenge you are experiencing at the moment.
Maybe you lose your job and that feels pretty bad. But, what if that challenge leads to an even better job with more money and work that you love a lot?
You know the old saying: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! This is an opportunity to count all your blessing and then use the tool of gratitude to turn what you have into enough. This is a wonderful way to see that gratitude brings happiness to all areas of your life.
Gratitude Brings Happiness So You Can Get Rid of Negativity
Yes, practicing gratitude brings happiness, and then having a positive attitude is not easy. This is especially true when you might be struggling with depression or anxiety.
If you think your anxiety or depression is out of control, you might want to seek a professional to get some help. There is certainly nothing wrong with admitting you have a problem and going for therapy or taking medication.
However, if things are not terribly bad, you might be able to get yourself out of the negativity on your own. First, you will want to acknowledge the negativity by putting the feelings into words.
It is important to know how you are feeling. Are you feeling anger or annoyance? Are you frustrated or even disappointed? You will need to get specific.
It is probably going to be a painful exercise, and you might want to avoid looking at the feelings. However, the first step to getting yourself out of the negativity is to take some time to see where you are feeling from an emotional standpoint.
You can then start to work on discovering what has caused negative feelings. Often the answer is very obvious. Other times you may have to dig a bit.
It is important, however, to dig deep because oftentimes the most obvious answer isn’t the actual cause of the negative feelings.
You may be mad at your partner for spending too much money. But when you take a look you just might discover there is actually an underlying value where the two of you are not aligned.
You will be able to resolve your negative feelings once you figure out what the true season is for them. This will, of course, vary from case to case. It is important to note that this will give you something meaningful and specific to work on.
You are no longer going to feel helpless or out of control. This will help you to think more positively and give you something that you can work with.
The good news is that you will be able to distance yourself somewhat from the negative feelings you have been having. You can still be upset with the challenges you have. However, it will allow you to remember all the good things you have in your life.
As a result, you will be able to work things out and get through the challenge. This is your chance to decide that it is up to you to continue with the negative feelings or to choose a more positive approach to life.
Just remember that you won’t be able to change everything in your life or anyone else for that matter. It is also important to know that your road to positivity is about acknowledging your negative feelings and then finding a way to let them go.
Again, this is not going to be easy. However, there are certain tools you can use to make it easier. Journalling is a good idea. Or you could talk to a friend or family member that you trust with your feelings.
Sometimes an outside perspective is all we need to get some clarity. Another way to rid yourself of negative thoughts is through meditation or affirmations.
One of the best ways to find a more positive outlook is to surround yourself with positive people and situations. You could go for a walk on the beach or in a park. Get out and enjoy nature. Or you could spend some of your time volunteering to help someone else.
One thing that you can do to create a positive attitude and let go of negativity is to remind yourself about everything that you are grateful to have in your life.
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