Gratitude Increases happiness and health and changes your brain

Gratitude:

It’s now pretty well known now that expressing gratitude helps you to create a more positive and happy mind set but it’s now be found that gratitude can literally transform your brain.

In studies by UCLA’S Mindfulness Awareness Institute, it has been discovered that regularly expressing gratitude, changes the molecular structure of the brain, keeps the brain matter functioning well and makes us generally happier and healthier.

When you feel happiness, the central nervous system is impacted and feel good hormones are released leading you to feel more peaceful, less reactive, and less resistant.

It has also been found that people that consciously express gratitude, experience better sleep, feel more connected to others and experience lower level of anxiety and depression.

So what are some simple way you can express more gratitude in your life and increase your health and wellbeing?

1.  Make it a daily practice to consciously express gratitude throughout the day, either silently to yourself or aloud to others. Try to do this 2 or 3 times a day.

2.  Keep a journal and write down 3 things a day that you are thankful for.  This works well first thing in the morning or just before bed.

3.  Make it a practice to tell your partner or friend something you appreciate them every day.

4.  Whenever you look in the mirror think of something you’ve done recently that you’re proud of or something you like about yourself

( Reference: Neuroscience reveals how gratitude literally rewires your brain to be happier by Justin Brown – Ideapod )