Give it up for gratitude

I thought I'd share a little something I learned a few years ago that has made a positive impact in my life. Now seems like a good time since more than a few folks I have run into lately seem to be a little stressed out. It's the simplest, fastest way I personally have found, to lift a mood from negative to positive. The ol' 'turn the frown upside down' trick. And, it really works.

The psychology behind it says that it's impossible to feel bad when in a state of gratitude. Below is an excerpt I grabbed from a study done by Michael McCullugh, Professor of Psychology at Southern Methodist University.

*The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy. Additionally, the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, was more likely to help others, exercised more regularly and made more progress toward personal goals. According to the findings, people who feel grateful are also more likely to feel loved. McCollough and Emmons also noted that gratitude encouraged a positive cycle of reciprocal kindness among people since one act of gratitude encourages another.

You can check it out yourself. Here are some effective ways to build gratitude from the Sedona site:

1. Keep a gratitude journal that lists everything you’re thankful for.
2. Write a thank you note to a parent, a teacher, a mentor or anyone else in your life who deserves a pat on the back.
3. Begin and end each day by thinking of five things you’re grateful for.
4. Tell your significant other how much you appreciate him or her on a regular basis.
5. When things go your way, smile and be thankful for them.

That's it! It really is that simple. If I find myself in a funky mood and want to change it, I'll get out a white piece of paper, grab a pen with blue ink, and start writing all that I'm grateful for.

I'm so grateful for my awesome kids.
I'm so happy and grateful now that I'm in great health.
I'm so happy and grateful now that my bills are paid.
I'm so happy and grateful now that I have awesome relationships.
etc.

I've found that you can speed things up a bit by throwing in the 'happy.'

It rarely takes more than writing 5 or 6 things I'm grateful for before my mood shifts and I start to feel good. Being a bit obsessive I'll typically write half a page to a page for good measure.

Try writing a list first thing in the morning and again before you go to sleep for one week and see what happens.