We can get stressed about many things from health to job security and all that fits in between. These daily stressors, large and small, can create a nightmarish downward spiral, impacting our mental and physical health, affecting our performance at work and bleeding into our relationships.
If we lose sight of the positive and focus solely on the negative we react accordingly, our judgment is skewed, and we may mistreat people or behave unprofessionally at work.
Stressed out people create stressed out environments, from your home to your oce, your bad mood or negative outlook has the power to create friction wherever you go.
The great news is, there is a simple way to upend these negative cycles and put a positive spin on things.
Research has shown that using "gratitude" people can not only improve their mood day to day, but they can actually leave a little trail of happiness behind them, which is far better than the friction we discussed earlier!
“Gratitude can boost dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters in the brain that improve your mood immediately, giving you positive feelings of pleasure, happiness, and well-being.”
Let's start with ourselves. Let's figure out how to make ourselves feel a bit better before getting carried away with everyone else.
As bad as things are, we can always find something to be grateful for. We can be thankful for the hug we got from our partner or pet this morning. Thankful for the tyres on our car, thankful for our friends who are there when we need them....the list is endless. Some things happen or exist in our daily lives that help us to get to where we need to go, and we may never pay them a second thought until one day for one reason or another that thing or person evades us. Then we appreciate it for what it was. The trick is to enjoy things, people, feelings, meetings, events while we have them, nding and expressing that gratitude makes us both appreciative for the things and people we have in our lives and that radiates.
Think about it; if you have spent 10 minutes purposefully thinking about the great people in your life, and great opportunities afforded to you, you are far less likely to get upset because some busy barista has handed you a latte instead of a cappuccino.
It might seem kooky at first but keeping a gratitude diary has the power to alter your mood and focus completely. You don't need to share it with anyone, and it doesn't even need to be a physical diary. It can be 2 or 10 minutes before you get up in the morning where you think of 5 things you are grateful for before you greet the world.
A simple appreciation for the good things in life has real transformative powers that can not only impact you, but the ripples will touch all of the people around you.
If your gratitude diary is bringing up actions or people, then tell them! Simply thanking a person or acknowledging their contribution to your life or your work and how that has made you feel grateful is an incredible compliment that can only be well received.
So start with yourself and work outwards, feel gratitude and aim to spread joy wherever you go.