The Three-Step Process That Shifts your Perspective

We all have ups and downs; the good and bad days; the victories and defeats. Most often, the positive and negative are fairly equally dispersed in our lives, but it is the frustrating, sad, anger-producing events that our minds may perseverate. Our brains are wired for negativity bias, meaning that our mind remembers what is wrong 5X more readily than what is right.

Our negativity bias means that we have to work 5X harder to remember the good and the positives that are happening in our lives. I can so easily identify with the negative or what I want to change and improve. But a gratitude practice is what has kept me grounded in the good, the blessings, the kindness, and the love. Look at the below definition from Harvard Health Publishing:

Gratitude is the thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible.

In my world, gratitude is the acknowledgement of what is good within life, meaning both within ourselves and outside of ourselves. For me, it can feel like a superpower that changes everything. According to author Melody Beatty, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

Developing a deep sense of gratitude does not mean that we ignore our struggles or difficulties, but it does recognize that it is important to honor what is good, instead of just focusing on what is bad. Just like learning how to soothe ourselves with a sense of self-compassion, gratitude is a way to soothe our wellbeing in a healthy way that brings comfort, joy, and honor to what is positive right now.

Having a strong sense of gratitude increases your physical, mental, and emotional health. People who develop a strong gratitude muscle are physically and emotionally healthier than those who do not. A state of gratitude actually changes your state of being on a cellular/biochemical level, reducing inflammation and other disease-causing factors.

So, how do we normalize gratitude as a daily practice? I recently listened to author and psychologist Terri Cole speak about a 3-step daily journaling routine that multiplies our gratitude. Realize that by implementing this as a daily practice, you are creating new neural pathways that Terri says, “institutionalize” gratitude as your way of being. Over time, you will see your perspective shift in a way that will change how you go about your day... maybe instead of comparison, judgement, or criticism, you will be able to see the positive or even a glimmer of what you can be grateful for. Like many good changes and healing, it takes time and repetition, but with practice, it will happen.

3-Step Journaling Practice by Terri Cole (write in the AM for the previous day or PM for the current day):

Who or what inspired you today?
Who or what brought you comfort today?
Who or what brought you joy?

Journal from the perspective of being grateful for that experience and of giving thanks.  

The challenge I have for you is to try this gratitude practice for at least 30 days. At the end of the 30-day time period, take time to evaluate your own behavior: has your perspective shifted? Is it easier to see what you can be thankful for? Has this practice brought more ease into your wellbeing?

Use NSA to further develop your gratitude super-power. NSA creates awareness and adaptability within the nervous system. When you use mindfulness and NSA to become more aware of your automatic thought processes, you can more easily acknowledge negative thinking and shift into a perspective of gratitude. With NSA care, you will notice an increased ease within this process, especially with the peace and resiliency that NSA creates within the nervous system.

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