By Celia Lambert, PhD
How do you/I become a happier person?
One way is to choose gratitude. Choose and acknowledge something you are grateful for today. Choose to be happy about something, anything, your job, friends, family or your health.
Everyday when you make a choice to be grateful for something you are creating new neural pathways. These neural pathways of gratitude trigger dopamine and serotonin hormones to be released. These are the feel good chemicals in your body.
We are exposed to a lot of negativity in a day. Imagine what builds up in a week or a year. This negativity reinforces fear neural pathways, which release cortisol and adrenaline chemicals into our bodies which trigger the fight-or-flight-or-freeze response. Collectively known as stress.
If you would like to reduce your stress then everyday choose to be grateful for someone or something in your life. This will create these new neural pathways that release the feel good chemicals which, in time will literally out weigh the stress chemicals and you will feel happier everyday as happiness builds on itself.
Gratitude challenge: Write down three things you are grateful for, for 21 days, no repeats.
Bonus: Write them down each evening and reread them in the morning. You will marinate on positivity while you sleep and in turn set the tone for a positive day.
Celia Lambert, PhD, author, speaker and personal growth coach, works with people who are struggling with eating disorders, anxiety, depression, relationship challenges and PTSD. Helping them create healing, health and happiness in their lives. Comments? celia.lambert@yahoo.com
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