It's easy to say “follow your dreams” and much harder to do it, as sometimes we all have hard moments full of negative emotions, right? Jen Sincero said “You have to want your dreams more than you want your drama. Don't be afraid to get rid of the drama in order to gain control of your dreams.” But how to deal with negative emotions? Use the power of gratitude!
The neuroscience of gratitude and negative emotions
Scientists from the University of Houston (USA), claim that words of gratitude help people to overcome depression and deal with negative emotions. The work was published in the journal “Personality and Individual Differences” at the end of 2016.
Psychologists have determined that depression is more likely to affect people with a tendency to hide their feelings. So they created an experiment to help people express their feelings. The research involved 352 volunteers aged 18 to 58 years. Scientists have found that timely, sincere words of gratitude can cope with a bad mood better than many medicines. As experts noted, the results of the study showed that feeling of gratitude helps a person to reassess everything that is happening in a more positive sense.
Inspiring motivational gratitude quotes
Do you rememeber a movie “Patch Adams” with Robin Williams? It's based on real story of Hunter Doherty “Patch” Adams, an American comedian, social activist and clown. He said “At the age of 18, I made up my mind to never have another bad day in my life. I dove into a endless sea of gratitude from which I've never emerged.” So it is a decision that can change your life, your attitude to hard moments and opportunity to follow your dreams.
I offer you to read my favorite gratitude quotes to know what can you get if you make an effort to practice gratitude.
TOP 10 Gratitude Quotes
- “When you view your world with an attitude of gratitude, you are training yourself to focus on the good in life.” — Paul J. Meyer
- “Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — Melody Beattie
- “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- “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. And it can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” — Melody Beattie
- “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” — Robert Brault
- “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” — Zig Ziglar
- “I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude.” — Brene Brown
- “Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.” — Fred De Witt Van Amburgh
- “Give yourself a gift of 5 minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you. This 5-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe.” — Wayne Dyer
Gratitude practice
Here is what Stanford psychologist, stress researcher and TED speaker Kelly McGonigal wrote about the power of gratitude:
Research also shows that gratitude creates a state of mind and body that supports positive choices in all aspects of your life. A daily gratitude practice can fuel you with the energy, hope, and courage to take action toward your goals.
Listen to this short audio to practice gratitude:
5 simple ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis
Harvard health recommends this variety of practices:
- Write a thank-you note
You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter. Express your enjoyment and appreciation of that person's impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself. - Thank someone mentally
No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you. Mentally thank the individual. - Keep a gratitude journal
Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you've received each day. - Count your blessings
Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings. Reflect on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific. Think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you. - Pray or Meditate
People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment. Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as “peace”), it is also possible to focus on what you're grateful for. For example, it could be the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.
Which method would you like to try first?