Being grateful is important to feeling great
Wellbeing
Finding gratitude is a key part of anyone ’ s healthy and positive wellbeing . Nerja Wellbeing Coach and Therapist David Hurst explains why being grateful is vital for a happy life .
When people ask me for help one of the first things I advise them to do is think about things they have to be grateful for in life . This is because feelings such as depression , stress and anxiety cannot coexist alongside gratitude . Gratitude always shoves away depression and anxiety , in the same way that you cannot shine light into dark and it stays dark .
Many of us so often take for granted what we need to remember to be immensely grateful for – such as nature , children , family , friends , pets , a roof over our head , good health , running water , food to eat … but also smaller things too such as shoelaces , a cup to drink from , a magazine and the ability to read it …
Gratitude will give anyone positive energy and enable them to enjoy life more . On the other hand , if someone constantly fills themselves with negative stuff – from the news and social media , from who they mix with , to above all focussing on negative and lack in life – that will always play a part in many mental health conditions .
Our magnifying minds …
The fact is we have “ magnifying minds ”: anything we focus on grows . Whether it ’ s negative or positive . It ’ s much better to choose positive . As bestselling author and self-help motivator Dr Wayne Dyer put it : “ You ’ ll see it when you believe it .” That is , how you think is going to be how you feel .
Our thoughts are powerful : to a great degree , our happiness or otherwise depends on our thoughts . They are the internal words that only we can hear and they have an enormous impact on our external world . Likewise , families , communities and even countries can have similar collective thoughts that become belief systems that create the world in which we live .
Wrong or right ?
A major problem for many people – and it ’ s very common for those who are struggling in some way – is that they grew up in a household that taught them to focus on negativity and lack . It ’ s how they were “ wired ” in those formative years . you become friends with your mind it will undoubtedly empower you .
Write a gratitude list every day
Gratitude will give anyone positive energy ...
A really simple but effective way of learning to focus on aspects of life that you are grateful for is pic : Tone Camara to write a gratitude list David Hurst every day . At times you might have to fake it to make it . This is especially so in the beginning , particularly if you ’ ve been suffering from a mental health problem including an addiction .
But just by writing a daily gratitude list , you will start to increase positivity , get your positive neural pathways used again – and so begins the process where the negative pathways start to get overgrown through not being used . Then you will find that over time you increasingly start to slip down positive neural pathways . It will lead you on to a positive way of living .
So when you ’ re in bed at night write down ten things you ’ re grateful for in life or even just for that day . It works best to write : “ I am grateful for … ” at the start of every sentence . Keep the sentences brief . Then as soon as you wake up in the morning read through it . Remember too that it ’ s possible to write a gratitude list at any time of the day . Perhaps especially if you find yourself struggling in some way .
Keep in mind that if you ’ re grateful for things in your life you are likely to get rewarded with more positive things to be grateful for in life . This works I believe in exactly the same principle as if we give someone a gift and they ’ re grateful it leaves us feeling good , and so we ’ re much more likely to give them another gift – as opposed to the person who is not grateful for a gift we give them . We will be certain to have happier lives if we show gratitude for this wonderful gift of life that we ’ ve been given !
In a household such as this , the first question to any idea is always some form of : “ But let ' s think of everything that can go wrong with that then …” It is living through fear . A great part of getting on well in life , and very important in recovery , is to learn to live through love .
It can be done – begin with a statement that ’ s some form of : “ Let ’ s think of everything that can go right with this then …” If
DAVID HURST
David Hurst is a Wellbeing Life Coach & Therapist based on the Costa del Sol with four books published on mental health and emotional recovery , including 12 Steps To 1 Hero and The Anxiety Conversation . To find out more or contact David to chat about how he can help you or someone you love , visit : david-hurst . com
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