Thanksgiving – I’m going to focus on the actual meaning of the name of this holiday.
Giving thanks, gratitude…
Practicing gratitude can help down-regulate inflammation, improves our well being, it can even reduce mortality risk.
There are some studies that point towards different genes making some of us naturally more grateful than others.
But as always, epigenetics matter more – so we can turn those genes on if we have them, we can also just train the brain to roll with gratitude.
You may find that it is simple to start feeling gratitude about little things.
And I do mean feeling it, not just saying words.
Can you purposefully pull up the feeling of gratitude right now?
If yes, great, if not – think of something you’re grateful for.
As you focus on this one thing you’re grateful for, thinking about how grateful you are, pay attention to the feeling of it.
It’s this feeling that has all the great health benefits.
To me, gratitude feels light (both as a feeling and like literal light), it feels expansive, calming and uplifting at the same time.
It can feel different for you, just do make sure you practice feeling it.
If this is already easy for you, fantastic and keep actively and purposefully feeling gratitude.
If feeling gratitude is a little wonked for you, like I said earlier, start with small things.
I really mean little things, like how cozy the warm bed feels before you have to get up, how beautiful the sun lights up your plants in the winter time (when the sun angle is just right)…
You can feel gratitude about the smell of your coffee, your kid’s smile, putting on your favorite sweater, how excited your dog gets just because you walked in…
There are endless reasons to feel little moments of gratitude.
And here’s the thing, it’s actually about the little things.
