When I had my first bout of what I now realise was PTSD in my early twenties, my counsellor told me to write down a list of everything I was grateful for. At the time I was in a really, really bad place and could only think - if I could come up with ONE thing I was grateful for I wouldn't need to be here!
I was young and daft - I thought I was being asked to do a stupid and facile thing. But what that counsellor knew was that gratitude is a really powerful thing. Research shows that each time we feel grateful for something, however small, it produces profound measurable effects on our brain: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/01/how-expressing-gratitude-change-your-brain.html. Over time this produces increases in happiness and wellbeing, and reductions in depression and anxiety. Isn't that amazing?? The thing is, it isn't the 'count your blessings' approach that many well-meaning people taken when trying to help someone suffering from depression or anxiety. This is awful, and one of my top-ten hated phrases. It implies that your feelings are not real, and certainly in the cases of clinical depression and anxiety disorders can lead to a spiral of guilt and self-blame which makes the problem worse, not better. It is more that taking time each day - or more than once a day - to find things to be grateful and experience gratitude releases serotonin, endorphins and oxytocin, the 'happy chemicals' that over time help your brain function and make you feel well. And it doesn't need to be big - in fact, it can be better to be small. Be grateful for the chair you are sitting in, for the flowers, for the rain, for the sun, for your breakfast, for a smile, for the bus arriving, for your car starting, literally *anything*, your brain can't really tell the difference. Writing it down helps a lot. I found that by keeping a daily note of the things I was grateful for helped me remember them, and smile. And re-reading the list later made me smile again, so I got an extra dose of happy without even having to think of anything new. Now, the lazy person's guide to happiness? I'm all for that. Take time to find something to be grateful for every day and over time your brain will literally help you be, and stay, happy and mentally well. And this can be used alongside many other tools, like meditation, diet, exercise, drugs, talking therapies and so on, that can help you get, and stay, well, giving you *some* control over your mental health. Those of us who struggle with mild and serious mental health issues know only too well how easy it is to lose that sense of control and wellbeing, and how important it is in recovering and living well. So, DO think of, and be grateful for, your blessings. Some days, in the depths of my darkest depression and PTSD, I would be grateful that I had managed to get out of bed and dressed - it felt like climbing Mount Everest. But I am really glad I did it. What are YOU grateful for today?
1 Comment
Juliet
22/3/2017 01:54:51 pm
Daffodils standing up to the cold wind - tall, proud and defiantly bright yellow xx
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AuthorI came to mindfulness through trying to find a way to be sane and compassionate in an insane and harsh world. Archives
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