My wonderful colleague Naaila Moumaris-Clay recently shared an article about the physiological impact of gratitude on the brain. The article can be found here: Gratitude physically changes your brain, new study says.
In a nutshell, practicing gratitude makes it easier to find things in life to feel grateful for. I realize that sounds reductionist, but the idea is that your brain creates neural pathways which make it easier to find things to appreciate, which can strongly combat anxiety and depression.
As the writer explains, "In short, practicing gratitude seems to kick off a healthful, self-perpetuating cycle in your brain -- counting your blessing now makes it easier to notice and count them later. And the more good you see in your life, the happier and more successful you're likely to be."
What are some ways that we can practice gratitude?
Journaling the things we have go be thankful for;
Consciously thinking of what we appreciate about a situation or person;
Sharing our gratitude with the people in our lives.
What else can we do to practice gratitude?
