Midweek Gratitude

Houses in the French Countryside TJ Paris Photography

It is Wednesday already and I find shockingly that is two weeks since the last Midweek Gratitude post.

I attended a very interesting seminar recently that showed that tests on people to measure levels of “happiness”, contentment and calm were improved if you spent a moment each day contemplating and mentioning three things for which you are grateful. It makes sense really. The brain, like any other organ, can be altered by regular exercise and focussing on positive experiences helps to strengthen the neural pathways that maintain and identify positive feelings and experiences. Depression is the difficult opposite and why people can’t just “get over” depression. Your brain has developed strong neural connections to the areas associated with detecting stress, generating feelings of sadness and an increased awareness of the parts of our lives that are stressful or cause anxiety.

You have to give your brain a break and time for it to redirect thought into more helpful channels. You don’t get six pack abs by doing one sit up. You don’t go from depressed to happiness and ease by contemplating one good thing. But the more times you do it the more the body and the mind improves.

So take the time to sit and reflect on three things (any more is too much so the science suggests) each day and it can make a substantial difference to your state of mind in the long run.

And if you don’t feel it is making a difference straight away then at least you have spent a moment or two looking for good things in your day.

Best wishes to you all.

1. I am grateful that today we had a real downpour of rain (and I was inside)
2. I am grateful for the friendly smiles of my students and sharing a laugh in class
3. I am grateful to have friends to listen to me when I try to make sense of the world

If you would like to take a moment to share your gratitude this week then leave your three gratitudes in the comment section 🙂