Add Up Your Grateful Moments to be Happier

Last week when I was at my YogaFit Mind Body Conference, I attended a two-day certification about the Psychology of Positivity.  A lot of what I learned I have written about before.  A few things did make me curious.  Firtstly, when people choose to be positive and focus on the good instead of the bad, they actually become healthier. This makes sense to me because this means we are resilient, i.e. we can handle the bows and arrows that life slings without getting hurt.  We can rebound from setbacks.  We do not become embroiled in dark thoughts and the stress that creates.  Stress makes us crave junk food, retain belly fat, sleep poorly, etc.  It also impacts the immune system so that we get sick more easily.

On the other hand, when we train our mind--which we are all capable of--to focus on the good things that are abounding, we create a new pathway in our brain that starts to naturally look for more positive things.  When we go a step further and not only observe the positive things but actually tally the things we are grateful for, we deepen this groove in the brain and amplify the good feelings in the body.  We then naturally expect more good things to come along.  We can let go of life's minor setbacks because we see them as bumps in the road not sink holes.

The other thing I heard in my training was that life is messy, so much so that we should expect it to be messy and let go of the unrealistic expectations that life should be smooth sailing.  This is especially important in weight loss pursuits.  The path to a healthy weight loss and weight maintenance is full of plenty of jagged edges, frustrations, setbacks and recoveries (resilience).  It's just like life.  This means that when "bad" things happen--we can say "oh well," and acknowledge what it is--but not dwell on it--and then let it go.  No one's life is all good all the time OR all bad all the time.  Just like feelings which are always shifting, so too are our circumstances.

This week, to increase your happiness and positivity and good health, consider identifying three good things that you are grateful for.  You might write them in a notebook.  You might remember them and share them.  You might relive the good feelings that come with identifying these things.  This is the brain work we do to help us pursue our goals more easily.  When we are happier, we want more for ourselves.  We expect more for ourselves.   We keep going.