A Heaping dose of gratitude

As we all recover from an overdose of family, food, and drinks, we tend to be hard on ourselves on the actions that took place around the Thanksgiving table. We think back to the semi-painful conversations we had with in-laws, the extra piece of pie we put on our dessert plate, or the fact that we didn't “exercise it all off” the next day. Sure we are thankful to gather with our family and friends. But how can we really be thankful when the negative self-talk consumes most of our thoughts? 

Negative self-talk is an unfortunate byproduct of survival. Our cavemen ancestors actually benefited from an overworked brain. Constantly thinking of the potentially dangerous creature or natural disaster that could strike helped them stay alert and alive. In modern society, we don’t  have to worry about catastrophic dangers. Instead, our mind adapted to obsess about the small actions we make throughout the day. Thus the vicious cycle begins. 

It’s ironic that the mean monster inside us becomes larger and stronger during the holidays. The main thing we are supposed to focus on is the solution that can put a stop to the overthinking. I’m talking about gratitude. 

Having gratitude has been proven to increase an individual’s quality of life in all categories. When you start the day by being grateful, chances are you will lead a positive and less stressed day. 

Like maintaining a healthy lifestyle, seeing results from practicing gratitude won’t happen overnight. Author Dr. Robberts Emmons describes gratitude as a muscle you must exercise everyday in order to notice a benefit. 

Ways To Become a Gratitude Pro

Keep a Gratitude Journal
Keep a journal by your bed and write one thing you are grateful for every morning. Once you get in the habit of keeping up with your journal, start writing down 3 - 5 things you are grateful for.  

Send a Thank You Text
Chances are someone has done something nice for you in the past week. Shoot them a quick text to thank them! You can also send a message to someone close to you to tell them you are grateful. 

Change The Pattern 
​Once you catch yourself thinking negatively, notice the thoughts and kindly switch the thought pattern. Have the thing you are most grateful for ready in your mind to replace the negative self -talk!

These things are something we can all practice. No one is perfect. The negative thoughts will still be there at times, but if we can fight back with gratitude, we can learn to ignore the unreal thoughts and appreciate the things that are real and great in our lives.