21 Jul Gratitude changes the Brain in incredible ways
By now you’ve heard a lot about Gratitude: keeping a Gratitude journal, writing things down every day for which you are grateful etc. etc. So, what’s the story behind all this Gratitude?
Gratitude is a natural anti-depressant
In her article on the Neuroscience of Gratitude, Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury says this:
“Emily Fletcher, the founder of Ziva, a well-known meditation training site, mentioned in one of her publications that gratitude as a ‘natural antidepressant’. The effects of gratitude, when practiced daily can be almost the same as medications. It produces a feeling of long-lasting happiness and contentment, the physiological basis of which lies at the neurotransmitter level.
When we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel ‘good’. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside.
By consciously practicing gratitude everyday, we can help these neural pathways to strengthen themselves and ultimately create a permanent grateful and positive nature within ourselves.” – Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury, BA
Train your brain to work for you
Here are two very important things for you to know….
- Your brain will believe whatever you tell it over and over again
- Whatever your brain believes to be true, becomes your Reality
These are very powerful statements. The first point refers to the fact that you hold complete power over what you tell yourself. In the same way as, seated in front of your computer right now, you have complete say over what you type into it.
What super charges this first point, is the second one. Given that whatever your brain believes to be true becomes your Reality. You alone (not anyone or anything outside of you) have the power to determine what your experience of life will be.
Harvard researcher, best selling Author and Happiness Expert, Shawn Achor says: “Something as simple as writing down three things you’re grateful for every day for 21 days in a row significantly increases your level of optimism, and it holds for the next six months. The research is amazing,”
In his Super Soul Conversation with Oprah Winfrey, he shares the secrets of happy people and how, with simple steps, you can cultivate happiness and shift your experience of life from negativity to one of deepening optimism and living with joy. I hope you’ll treat yourself to listening to these!
Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations – Shawn Achor, Part 1: The Secrets of Happy People
Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations – Shawn Achor, Part 2: How to Find Happiness in Today’s World
The Key takeaway from this post: You absolutely can train your brain to be Happy!
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Thank you for taking time to read this post! The right information at the right time is a most powerful catalyst for change. For Coaching, Workshops or an Inspiring Talk on this valuable topic, please contact me.
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