Gratitude changes everything
Gratitude changes everything
Gratitude changes everything
“If one more person appreciates me, I quit! If I get one more compliment, I’m done!”, said no one, ever. Gratitude has been found to be the #1 predictor of well-being and a strong determinant of resilience.
Resilient people proactively cultivate positive emotions like humor, gratitude and optimism. You don’t even have to find anything to be grateful for. The simple act of looking for the positive decreases the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Just looking for something to appreciate increases serotonin and dopamine, the feel-good neurochemicals in most antidepressants.
Gratitude affects your brain at a neurological level. A gratitude practice has a positive impact on: sleep, mood, alertness, physical risk markers for future disease, happiness, better financial decision making, problem solving, optimism, productivity, and goal orientation. People who practice gratitude are perceived as more likeable, have fewer aches and pains, have increased self esteem, and make friends more easily. Practicing gratitude lowers stress, enhances empathy, lowers your risk of cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes, and it improves your immune system and cardiovascular health.
Gratitude has been found to be the #1 predictor of well-being and a strong determinant of resilience.
Still not convinced?
When we have a negative experience, it encodes itself into our neural structure immediately. Your brain doesn’t give the same weight to positive experiences because they don’t have an immediate impact on your survival.
Our brain has a negativity bias, causing it to constantly scan the environment for what’s wrong. Mind Over Moment is a way to help it find the things that are right. In order to offset negativity bias, when you have a great moment (I call it a delicious moment), savor it. Savoring is the ability to step outside of the moment to truly appreciate it.
You can encode positive experiences and retrain the brain by sitting in a positive experience for 15-20 seconds. Really soak in that beautiful moment, appreciate it, and relish the feeling. You have to deliberately sustain and internalize positive emotions to transfer them from short-term memory to long-term storage. You can’t just have the experience. You have to install it.
There is literally no downside to practicing gratitude.
- Journaling for 5 minutes a day about what you are grateful for can enhance long-term happiness by 10%.
- Write a letter, send a text or email thanking someone. Give a compliment.
- Create a gratitude jar, or simply recount the best parts of your day when you fall asleep at night. We are so busy in our constant search for happy that we forget happiness isn’t a trait, it’s a skill.
You have the power to change your brain and your life. I am incredibly grateful for you! Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your week.
Stay brave and resilient,
Anne
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Great leaders make great organizations. JAMS is a shining example of this. As an added bonus, they held their event in Vegas and Jay got to come with! Swipe to see our selfie! ➡️➡️
As we embrace the new world of work, mental health and employee well-being must be a priority in the workplace. With 1 out of every 4 adults and children struggling with a mental health issue, these are no longer "nice to have" conversations. In order to attract, retain, and develop great talent, mental health must be a focal point for organizations and leaders.
Whether you are an individual contributor or people leader, it is more important than ever to create a psychologically safe environment for mental health conversations to take place. Creating a safe space for people to talk openly about mental health is not only the right thing to do, it is also the number one predictor of high-performing teams.
While these conversations can be tricky, there are several things you can do. 👇 #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthatwork #leadership #leaders #empathy #vulnerability #highperformingteams #futureofwork
Mindfully listen 🎧
Every time your mind wanders, go back to the song. This repairs grey matter density damaged by stress and grows your brain’s capacity to manage attention, maintain focus, and regulate emotions. As an added bonus, listening to music releases dopamine, a mood-enhancing happy hormone. #mindfulmonday #mindfulness #resilience #listen #attentionmanagement #focus #braintraining #music #favoritesong
We tend to prioritize physical health (going to the gym, eating right, getting enough sleep), but mental health is just as – if not more – important.
Don’t forget to put your mental health on your priority list. Just like any other routine, these small shifts will become habits the more often you practice them. #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #habits #resilience #fridaymood #protectyourpeace
When you are lying in bed at night replaying your day, are you thinking about the things that went right or the things that didn’t? Thanks to our negativity bias, the chances are pretty high that you naturally default to the negative. This habit is sabotaging your mental health.
New blog on #rumination is at the link in my bio!
Life is finite, and so is our energy. What small things can you integrate into your routine to build up your energy reserves? #mindfulmonday
Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.
Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work and Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph.