Most people recognise and understand that keeping our minds and bodies healthy in times of stress is extremely important.
But what we also know is that it can be hard to maintain some good habits all the time. We perhaps don’t always eat the right things or exercise as often as we should.
But neuroscientists have discovered the one thought that, when regularly focused upon, is most likely to propel your mind and body into an upward spiral – gratitude.
Of course, when everything is going well, and all is right in the world – it’s easy to focus on gratitude. But it is far more difficult to feel grateful when you are self-isolating, withdrawn from your support network and worried about you and your family’s health, the state of the world and your financial security etc.
But for the sake of our wellbeing and in fact for those around us, we can really focus on this opportunity to consider what we are grateful for right now.
Gratitude in all forms is associated with happiness. Whether we say ‘thank you’ to someone or receive the same from others, the feeling it brings is that of pure satisfaction and encouragement. Expressions of gratitude help in building and sustaining long term relationships, deal with adversities and bounce back from them with strength and motivation.
People take their cues from us, especially if we are leaders. It is so much easier to experience a positive emotion when others are feeling positive emotions as well.
Gratitude actually communicates itself to others through mirror neurons, not through words. When people see us expressing gratitude, they feel like they want to mirror that experience.
So, one way we can help others be grateful is to be grateful for their presence in your life.
What inevitably emerges from gratitude is hope. And as the ancient Greeks knew, when Pandora accidentally loosed evil into the world, it was hope that made the fallen world bearable.
Gratitude is a powerful human emotion. By conveying and receiving simple ‘thank you’ messages, we can truly derive the pleasure that we seek everywhere else. Gratitude, derived from the Latin word ‘gratia’, means gratefulness or thankfulness.
In its simplest form, gratitude refers to a ‘state of thankfulness’ or a ‘state of being grateful’.
Gratitude improves interpersonal relationships at home and work. The connection between gratitude and happiness is multi-dimensional. Expressing gratitude not only to others but also to ourselves, induces positive emotions, primarily happiness. By producing feelings of pleasure and contentment, gratitude impacts on our overall health and well-being as well.
In a survey on gratitude in adult professionals, British psychologist and wellness expert Robert Holden found that 65 out of 100 people selected happiness over health, although they indicated that both were equally important for a good life. Holden, in his study, suggested that the roots of many psychopathological conditions like depression, anxiety, and stress are unhappiness.
Simple practices like maintaining a gratitude journal, complimenting the self, or sending small tokens and thank you notes can make us feel a lot better and enhance our mood immediately. Couple studies have also indicated that partners who expressed their thankfulness to each other often, could sustain their relationships with mutual trust, loyalty, and had long-lasting happy relationships.
So, what are you grateful for?
Despite everything that is going on in the world, what are the things that really matter to you and how do you demonstrate this every day?
Remember emotions are infectious too – so what emotions could you be gifting to others?
Want to know more about fostering positive emotions? Contact Michelle on 0412047590 or via email michelle@bakjacconsulting.com
Michelle Bakjac is an experienced Psychologist, Organisational Consultant, Coach, Speaker and Facilitator. As Director of Bakjac Consulting, she is a credentialed Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of Mental Toughness Partners and an MTQ48 accredited Mental Toughness practitioner. Michelle assists individuals and organisations to develop their Mental Toughness to improve performance, leadership, behaviour and wellbeing.
