Gratitude Can Radically Improve Your Life In 4 Weeks
“The struggle ends when gratitude begins” — Neale David Walsh
In 2019, Shealing found out that her husband had spinal cord damage.
He was losing connection with his body.
It took months to even diagnose what was going wrong and what could be done.
Shealing felt like she was being transported back to her childhood when she lost her mom due to breast cancer.
She kept on searching for answers — in meditations, books, and other sources.
One thing kept coming up — gratitude.
Shealing initially couldn’t take it seriously. How could she be grateful in a time of such crisis?
She forced herself to do so and in months she started feeling better. She not only learned how to manage her ongoing emotions but also untangle the trauma of childhood.
But how exactly does this work?
Can gratitude seriously change the brain? What does science say?
Joshua Brown & Joel Wong of Berkeley did their own research to find out —
- Gratitude unshackles us from toxic emotions.
- Gratitude helps even if you don’t share it.
- But its benefits take time (4–12 weeks)
- Gratitude has a lasting effect on the brain
Also, gratitude has the capacity to increase feel-good hormones like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. These contribute to a feeling of happiness, connection & closeness.
According to Forbes —
- Gratitude helps us overcome our negativity bias- the tendency to focus on negatives
- It requires us to slow down long enough to think & reflect — giving us much-needed pause in the “always-running” culture
- Over time, the brain learns to focus on what’s going well and ignore negativity.
How you can implement gratitude in your life
There are many ways to get started.
Gratitude for yourself
The idea is to get yourself into that mindset as soon as you can. Here are some ways you can do that.
- Think of 5 things you are grateful for every day: It can be as simple as a good meal.
- Tag being grateful with an activity you do every day: Maybe after you have your dinner, you take a minute to be thankful for what went right on that day. You can increase the frequency if you know you can maintain it
- Start a gratitude journal: If you like writing things down, you can create a journal to list down things you are grateful for.
- Shealing suggests a method called 8deep where you think about 8 things about one thing/experience that you are grateful for. This helps you think deeply about the positives in life.
Most importantly, savor the feeling of gratitude. Take a moment to appreciate what you are grateful for.
Gratitude for others
Take a moment to thank others for what they do for you.
It’s easy to take people for granted. But that is never a good practice. Even at work, 70% of HR professionals believe that employee recognition positively impacts retention.
You can use a thank you note, a small gift, a treat, or words to thank someone.
Final thoughts
Gratitude is a superpower.
Especially in a world filled with negativity, it helps you get out of the cycle.
Thank you for reading this article fully, and I wish you a very good day.
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