An Attitude- of Gratitude

Hey Girls,

Let's talk about giving thanks and feeling gratitude. You know that feeling you get when you don’t get the nail polish or boots that you wanted and you are upset and disappointed?  We all do. But, we have to realize that we need to be thankful for what we have. There are people in this world that have nothing- literally!  There are people in this country, following Hurricane Sandy, who have lost their family members, homes, pets, and more!  Read about one girl here, who will raise her siblings after the loss of their parents in the storm.

It's easy to fall into bad habits and lose track of how grateful we should be for all we do have, rather than looking around at commercials, peers, and the rich and famous, wishing we could have what they have.  Especially in this country!  We have an attitude of greed and lack. We are constantly barraged with ads and information which actually trick us into thinking we need those boots, that new electronic device, or the latest fashion.  We allow ourselves to be manipulated!

You can avoid this by starting a gratitude journal.  A gratitude journal is something you can write in daily or just somewhat often throughout the week.  In the journal, you write down what you are grateful for.  You can just simply create a list.  Or, you can do this at the end of the day and review each event that happened in your day, finding something or someone to be grateful for in each situation. 

What happens when we focus on gratitude like this?  Actually, it rewires or changes our brains!  This means that your brain which has been focused on what you want and need and don't have, is suddenly really happy with all that you do have!  It's true.  What we spend time thinking about gets bigger in our brain.  So, if you spend time on math every day, the math part of the brain has more connections, more space, and more energy.  Spending time on gratitude makes the parts of the brain that feel happy and content, stronger, more energized and it creates more connections!  But, you have to do it regularly, for weeks!

We need to give thanks and be happy for the things in our lives like family, friends, food and shelter. Because, once again there are people in the world that don’t have these things. So, remember NOT to take things for granted, because you are a lucky person!  Every time you sink into this attitude of gratitude, your brain changes and you become a happier, healthier person!

Be great!
Tammy and Carmen