As much as some of us (me included) would like to control every aspect of our lives, we can’t. What we can control is our attitude toward what happens to us.
We all experience and continue to experience trying times in our lives. The what in these situations is less important than the how.
CUT THE NEGATIVE ATTITUDE
How we react and move through these particular situations will determine their effect on our physical, mental and emotional well-being. Up to 40 percent of our happiness comes from how we choose to approach our lives. We tend to focus on our problems, especially during trying times. We then get in the habit of focusing our attention on all the negative things happening in our lives.
What would happen instead if we switched that focus to the many good things that happen to us each day?
What if we took time daily or weekly to reflect on things we are grateful for in our lives?
EXAMPLE GRATITUDE JOURNAL ENTRIES
• I am grateful for my knowledge of how to live a healthy lifestyle and that I can help others do the same.
• I am grateful that I devoted time to my strength-training routine today.
• I am grateful for my family and friends.
INCREASING HAPPINESS
Gratitude is the forgotten factor in happiness research. Studies show grateful people:
• Report higher levels of positive emotions
• Have greater life satisfaction
• Experience greater vitality
• Are more optimistic
• Are healthier
• Build strong relationships
• Handle adversity better
• Experience lower levels of depression and stress
People who have a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathetic and to take the perspec – tive of others. They are also rated as more generous and more helpful.
Grateful individuals place less importance on material goods, are less likely to judge their own and others’ success in terms of possessions accumulated, and are less envious of others.
IDEAS FOR PROMOTING GRATITUDE
Being grateful — and practicing it daily — is good for both the mind and body. A few things to try are writing thank-you notes, meditating, reviewing the good things in your life (counting your blessings) and keeping a gratitude journal.
After starting a gratitude journal, people start to look at people and things differently, seeking out the positive in each situation or interaction. They appreciate the little things that are positive and don’t take them for granted.
