Gratitude has lots of positive effects on the individual and his brain. Gratitude can make you happier and more satisfied with life, and it can also reduce anxiety and depression. Being grateful can also make you feel more connected and supported, and it can even improve your physical health and sleep quality. Gratitude has been shown to activate areas of the brain associated with reward and pleasure, such as the ventral striatum and the medial prefrontal cortex. It also increases the activity of the hypothalamus, which regulates stress.
Being grateful can make some pretty big positive changes, both for the person and their brain.
Frederick Buechner said, “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Do not be afraid.”
The best way to overcome fear, negativity, sorrow, frustration, and resentment is to turn our attention toward gratitude.
Gratitude, in its most powerful form, is a verb. It lives in my active reflections and in my actual actions. It’s intentional—and the more I tend to it, the more of it I find.
Take some time in active reflection of what was. Here is a set of simple, yet powerful activities to help you find gratitude.
And next, take some time in active anticipation of what will be.
Most of us can point to a person or ten for whom we are grateful, finally. Someone who lights up our hearts when they cross our minds. When’s the last time you told such a person that you felt that way?
When we turn our minds towards gratitude, our hearts follow. The more you think about, talk about, and write about the things for which you are grateful, the more of those things you will find.