Gratitude Brings A Side Dish Of Mental Fitness With It

The Holidays are typically viewed with joy and warmth for most, but there is also stress with the planning, family dynamics and unexpected things that do come up. You can mitigate the impact of the stress and increase your mental fitness with just a sprinkle of gratitude as you go along.

What happens to your brain when you express gratitude?

Each expression of gratitude brings with it a release of "natural anti-depressants" that help mitigate the stress of the Holidays or any day for that matter. I would hope you want to feel good everyday.

When you focus on the positive in your day, it causes the development of new neural pathways of feel good. The "happy" neurotransmitters released mitigate stress and increase well-being. When you feel good, you are more able to continue activities that lend to that happiness.

People that consistently practice gratitude develop a stronger brain for social cognition and empathy. What does this mean? It means you are better able to navigate social settings and better understand others, extending more compassion. As a business owner, can you see value in this one benefit alone? With culture being the hot topic of the day, this one thing can pay off in spades.

Retraining your brain to focus on what is going in the right direction when you are feeling down or stressed helps you build stronger resilience to stressful situations. If you allow yourself to immerse in social media or a quart of ice cream when you feel stressed, you may very well find yourself further down the path of not feeling good.

Mindfulness, meditation, and other relaxation tools can also lend to stress reduction. Topics for another blog for sure.

How do you express gratitude? There is no "right answer" here. It can look like taking a moment to quietly notice the beauty around you. The cute pet passed out on their back on the sofa with feet in air - one of my faves,  think about something you appreciate about yourself or someone else, send a note or text to someone else with gratitude, keep a gratitude journal to write in each evening, schedule in some gratitude breaks throughout your day - you'll be amazed at how your day shifts. You don't need to do all of these of course, just pick one to practice consistently.

Remember, where you focus is growing. What are you growing?

Thanksgiving day is the perfect day to give thanks, even negative events can have a silver lining of something to give thanks for at times. When looking at expressing gratitude, it can be even the smallest of things:

• The great smell of your morning coffee.
• The dog greeting you when you returned home.
• The money you saved during a sale.

You get the picture.

Get your brain fit, feel better and cause more good things to happen around you. What have you got to lose? Maybe a bad time and some stress? I say, LET'S DO IT!

By the way, thank you for being a part of my world through the years. I appreciate the journey we have been on together whether you have participated in the 48 Hour Breakthroughs or just read an occasional email. Thank you. I didn't want to start my day before giving my brain a little workout.

If you are ready to increase your resilience and emotional intelligence, take a leap in freedom and overall well-being - I would love to chat with you about the upcoming 48 Hour Breakthrough happening January 11th & 12th. Drop me an email so we can set up a virtual cup of coffee and chat about what the 48 can do for you.