As we move the clocks back and the days feel so much shorter I'm filled with gratitude. Gratitude for the changing seasons, the colorful leaves, and gratitude for having my health. I’m one of those people who love the shorter, darker days. It gives me the green light to hunker down and hibernate.
It might not always feel like we have things to feel grateful for but the science is there to show us that feeling gratitude actually helps our brain. Gratitude really has the power to change how our brains work, thanks to something called neuroplasticity, which is just a fancy way of saying our brains can adapt based on our experiences. When we practice gratitude, we can:
Build up positive connections: It helps strengthen the pathways in our brains linked to feelings like happiness and contentment.
Weaken negative connections: Gratitude can also tone down those pathways associated with negative emotions, like guilt, shame, and aggression.
Activate the medial prefrontal cortex: This part of the brain is all about learning, making decisions, and dealing with negative feelings.
Lower cortisol levels: Practicing gratitude can help reduce cortisol, which is the stress hormone that kicks in when we're anxious or scared.
Boost our happiness hormones: It even triggers the release of feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, making us happier overall.
So, embracing gratitude really does wonders for our minds!
A few easy ways to incorporate gratitude into your life are noticing what you are grateful for each day. Maybe as you wake up you start your day with gratitude. Some people write in a gratitude journal. At Sunday dinner, we like to go around the table and share what we are grateful for.
What are you grateful for? Do you have any gratitude practices you’d love to share?