This week’s thrive in five is about how feeling grateful Can boost energy
For the third week of our five-part Magic Minute series, I want to talk about gratitude. Gratitude is simply defined as the quality or feeling of being thankful, and we feel it when acknowledging the good things in life. According to positive psychology research, there is a strong link between gratitude and greater happiness. In addition to boosting our health, feeling grateful can increase our ability to overcome challenges and the quality of our relationships.
Feeling Gratitude as it comes
There are many ways to count your blessings. For example, some like to keep a journal, others start or finish their day with three things they’re grateful for. I like to do it a little more organically. From my office, I have the most incredibly beautiful view of the Dulwich Woods and surrounding area. As I talked about in the first post in the series, I try to take a minute wherever I can to just look out of the window and daydream. I admire the contrast of colours, observe what is going on out there, and it makes me feel grateful. Grateful to have that view, and that I can go to those woods with my dog. Grateful for so much natural light in my office, and that I have my office to myself. By anchoring myself in the present moment, I am therefore allowing myself to feel gratitude as it comes.
How feeling grateful Can Boost Our Mood And Energy
The most powerful thing about being in a grateful state is that it prohibits negative thoughts from entering your mind. For example, it is very difficult to be grateful and angry at the same time, or grateful and anxious, or grateful and sad. For the moment that you feel grateful, that feeling blocks any other emotions. It allows us to transform our mood and energy almost instantly, and perhaps even sustain it for some time after.
You only need 60 seconds or less to think about or observe something that makes you feel grateful. Think about something you are thankful for, or just be open to feeling gratitude throughout your day.
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