Gratitude

TIME: 10 minutes

BENEFITS: Gratitude makes us happier and healthier — and even makes us live longer!

How can this be?

It turns out, practising gratitude rewires our brains and releases our natural antidepressants: serotonin and dopamine.

What’s really cool is that research also shows that the more we intentionally practise gratitude (especially on ourselves), the more likely we are to express it without thinking. Then we begin to naturally notice what we appreciate and let negativity bounce off.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Let’s give it a go.

List below some little moments, meaningful gestures, small wins, and beautiful objects in your life that you are genuinely grateful for. Let this be a brainstorm. Nothing is too small or too big to include. For example: the warmth of the coffee cup in my hand, the person who held the door for me at the post office, the tree outside my window…

Now you:

How do you feel now? You could experiment and repeat this exercise once in a while. Notice: has anything changed?