I recently listened to a great podcast talking all about positive psychology. It was a healthy reminder to me that being happy isn’t a state of mind but actually something you need to work for, and it discussed the concept of ritualizing positive behavior.
As humans we are a routine, ritualistic species that typically does well when we maintain a certain pattern. Creating a new pattern takes motivation and capital input however, once established maintaining that pattern is often easier than you think. Brushing your teeth in the morning doesn’t take much thought or willpower however booking that one-off visit to the dentist takes more focus and memory to get done.
But what if we ritualized happiness?
What if we got past the initial input of engaging in things that make us happy and made it our routine? Gratitude, I think, is a great example of an activity that can be ritualized, and bring us more happiness.
Taking time in our day to be thankful is a simple way to slow our brains down, reflect, and build happiness. The more we practice gratitude (and get a physiological response of happiness) the faster our brain gets at feeling positive. Each time we learn a new behavior, we create a neural pathway – so the more we practice gratitude the stronger that pathway gets.
So how do I ritualize gratitude?
There is no ‘right’ way to ritualize gratitude but I like to suggest connecting your gratitude practice with something you already do everyday. For example:
- Before bed, close your eyes and reflect on one positive thing from you day
- Give thanks before your meal
- Set a positive intention for your day while you fill your cup of coffee
- Journal 3 bullets of thankfulness at the start of your day
Changing our behaviors changes our brain structures, and when we change our brain it has a full body impact. What could be more positive than that?
In gratitude,
Dr Chanel Cressman, ND
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