"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude"
A.A. Milne
It is not happiness that brings gratitude.
It is gratitude that brings happiness
Anonymous
POSITIVE EMOTIONS
Connecting with positive emotions broadens our awareness, improves problem solving, makes us more creative, helps us perform better, makes us feel more connected. There is research to support this.
We can learn to choose hope over fear, build our curiosity, be more authentic and real, more open to our present experience, increase awareness of our senses. Practising experiencing Positive Emotions make these emotions more available to us and predicts joy and flourishing in the future. |
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BUT OUR MINDS NATURALLY FIND FAULT:
CRITICISM & LOSS IS FELT GREATER THAN PRAISE & GAIN
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It appears there is research to show that we have a natural tendency to feel loss more than gain. When we receive unwanted new, it takes a lot of good news to lift us out of that rut and feel good again.
So if we want to feel happy we may have to actively shift our attention to something we appreciate in order to connect with that good feeling. There is skill involved in seeing the glass half full but it can be enhanced with practice. |
A SIMPLE GRATITUDE PRACTICE
We may wish to write down each day 3 things that went well and why/how that event or thing came to be. This simple exercise appears to reduce depression and increase wellbeing with benefits that are long-lasting. We can broaden our definition of what went well to include any good feeling or moment we experienced: safety, calm, the feeling of receiving or giving kindness or love, receiving or giving a smile, connectedness, freedom, acceptance, understanding, support, fun, laughter, joy. We can ask ourselves more about that experience- Where exactly were you? What were the positive words exactly that were said? What did it actually feel like to experience that good thing? |
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Appreciating WHAT IS
RATHER THAN THE EXPECTATION GAP
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Suffering is asking from the world what it cannot give you |
Instead of having a fault-finding mind, develop the beautiful attitude of gratitude. |