If you want to boost positive feelings (and potentially your well-being), here's a simple idea you can try: Make a habit of honoring the small joys in your life.
Gratitude is a practice you can develop to counter negative thinking. It involves acknowledging and expressing grateful feelings, sometimes privately and sometimes to others. When you practice gratitude, it pumps up your body's feel-good chemicals, like dopamine, which are natural antidotes to stress.
Gratitude can lift your mood if you're feeling down. But there's more! Practicing gratitude is linked to a wide array of mental, physical and social benefits. For example, it may:
• Increase feelings of happiness.
• Reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
• Help you sleep better.
• Strengthen your relationships.
• Boost your immunity to illnesses.
• Help lower blood pressure and inflammation, which may help your heart.
Not sure where to start? There are many ways to express your appreciation. Here are a few ideas:
1. Start a gratitude journal. Reflect on and write about the positives you've experienced, such as accomplishments, special moments or people. You might decide to do this each day or week.
2. Say thanks. When someone does something thoughtful, tell them you value it. Thank a friend, a colleague or a stranger. Let them know exactly how they made you feel.
3. Write a gratitude note. Write a thank-you note to someone who has made a difference in your life. Or send them a text listing three reasons you value their friendship and support.
4. Savor a mindful moment. Take a moment to savor one of life's simple joys. Maybe that's a colorful sunrise or the sweet sounds of a songbird. Look around, and you may find something or someone you can be grateful for.
For more information on how gratitude and other practices can boost your mental and physical health, schedule an appointment with any member of our
Psychiatry department by calling 863-680-7877.
Sources: American Heart Association; Anxiety and Depression Association of America; HelpGuide