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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Anne breaks down the daily habits and skills needed to grow and cultivate RESILIENCE.
We can take back control of our energy, but FIRST, we have to be aware that we are running on fumes. Here are five subtle signs to look for before you burn out:
1️⃣ You Feel Snappy, Judgy, or Overly Critical (Even Over Dumb Stuff)
2️⃣ You’re Drowning in Decision Fatigue
3️⃣ You Feel Guilty for Resting (So You Never Fully Do)
4️⃣ You’re Scrolling to Numb, Not Connect
5️⃣ You Keep Thinking: ‘Once I get through this week…’
If even one of these sounded familiar, that’s your sign. You don’t need to wait for burnout to make a change. This is your permission slip to pause, reset, and breathe. 🎥
Speaking for one of my favorite clients @assaabloygroup to celebrate their best customers in Napa – savoring so many delicious moments! 🙏
Have you ever had to schmooze at a networking event? You find yourself in some awkward situation, fumbling around for the right words when you land on “How are you?” or “What do you do?” Two of the most boring, uninspiring, uninteresting questions in the world.
Fortunately, there is a conversation starter that works better, is way more interesting, and makes you more memorable. This question is so powerful that it activates the pleasure center of the brain.
Here’s the question: “Working on anything exciting lately?”
That simple conversation starter makes people light up and feel good. And the best part? When they leave the conversation, they connect you with that good feeling.
If you want more tips, tools, and strategies like this one, sign up for my weekly Resilience Reset newsletter! ⬇️ https://www.annegradygroup.com/strong/
A couple of fun facts about gratitude:
🙏 Just looking for something to be grateful for drops cortisol by 23%.
🙏 A gratitude practice trains your brain to search for and find more good stuff.
🙏 Gratitude improves mood, memory, focus, immune function, and heart health.
What will you look for this week? #mindfulmonday
Overthinking is just self-doubt pretending to be productive. Give yourself permission to take a nap.
📷: @newyorkermag
Always fun work with the team at @traviscentralad!
When you get your property appraisal, remember that the folks you call aren’t the ones raising your taxes. Be kind, be patient, and remember that we are all doing our best.
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.