“From Gloom to Gratitude: 8 Skills to Cultivate Joy” by Judith Moskowitz
Focusing on gratitude can improve your mental health. Judith Moskowitz is a researcher at Northwestern University. Judith and her team have found 8 things you can do to increase your level of joy. The feeling of joy is associated with increased levels of dopamine and oxytocin in your brain. These chemicals decrease anxiety and depression.
Here are the 8 techniques that Moskowitz and her team used to increase people’s feeling of joy:
Take a moment to identify one positive event each day.
Tell someone about the positive event or share it on social media. This can help you savor the event longer.
Start a daily gratitude journal. Aim to find little things you are grateful for - such as a good cup of coffee, a pretty sunrise or nice weather.
Identify a personal strength and reflect on how you’ve used this strength today or in recent weeks.
Set a daily goal and track your progress. "This is based on research that shows when we feel progress towards a goal, we have more positive emotions," Moskowitz says. The goal should not be too lofty. You want to be able to perceive progress.
Try to practice "positive reappraisal": Identify an event or daily activity that is a hassle. Then, try to reframe the event in a more positive light. Example: If you're stuck in traffic, try to savor the quiet time. If you practice this enough, it can start to become a habit.
Do something nice for someone else each day. These daily acts of kindness can be as simple as giving someone a smile or giving up your seat on a crowded train. Research shows we feel better when we're kind to others.
Practice mindfulness by paying attention to the present moment. You can also try a 10-minute breathing exercise that uses a focus on breathing to help calm the mind.
If you would like to sign up for a website that helps you to practice these skills, check out It’s All Good Here: https://itsallgoodhere.com/
Practicing gratitude can have many positive effects on mental health, including:
Reducing anxiety and stress
Gratitude can regulate cortisol production in the brain, which can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Combating depression
Gratitude can increase feelings of optimism and vitality, while reducing feelings of depression.
Improving sleep
Positive thoughts can help soothe the nervous system and combat anxious thoughts that can keep people awake.
Improving relationships
Expressing gratitude to others can strengthen bonds and create more positive interactions.
Enhancing empathy
Grateful people are more likely to be sensitive to other people's needs and less likely to seek revenge.
Reducing pain
Practicing gratitude can energize people, which can lead to reduced feelings of pain.
Gratitude can also improve self-esteem and physical health. I encourage my clients to write down three things they are grateful for each night before they go to bed. It helps with sleep and easing yourself out of the stresses of the day. An even more powerful exercise is setting a timer for two minutes and writing down everything you are grateful for. While you do this, play one of your favorite, emotional songs. I often like to do this exercise to Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings”. After you do this exercise, you may find yourself crying. Tears of joy can be very healing. Once you start this practice, you may be amazed at how easy it is to come up with things that bring you gratitude and joy. Happy journaling!
For more tips like this call us today at 414-242-6453 or schedule a new patient appointment online. I can’t wait to meet you.
