Counting your blessings is a powerful addition to your wellness toolbelt.
Is your inner critic running your life? You know the voice—the one forged in every criticism you have ever heard and loves to pop up anytime you face a difficult situation.
The inner critic is ruthless.
Imagine this scenario: you wake up and check your email and the first one you read is from a coworker. The email is poorly toned and critical of your work. The inner critic sees its opportunity and pounces. You are a failure, it says. The world is untrustworthy and people are bad, it says (the inner critic loves to make generalizations). The rest of your day is stuck in a vicious feedback loop of negativity.
We all have that awful voice and left unchecked it can be the loudest thing we hear.
Developing powerful tools, such as a practice of gratitude, can help you control your inner critic so that it doesn’t control you, your day, or your relationships.
How does gratitude help disrupt your inner critic?
Gratitude helps us to feel more compassionate toward ourselves and others. Gratitude strengthens positive emotions. Numerous studies have shown that gratitude impacts the brain at a chemical level and changes the way we think. Acknowledging the good things in your life often trains your brain to ruminate on positive experiences and emotions instead of toxic ones.
Optimism begets optimism.
Research has linked gratitude with:
- Increasing health and well being
- Improving sleep
- Strengthening personal relationships
- Reducing depression and anxiety
- Experiencing more joy and pleasure
How can you create a practice of gratitude in your life?
By engaging in a consistent practice of acknowledging the good things in your life, positive health benefits will build up over time.
Here are three ways to practice gratitude:
- Gratitude Journaling: A few times a week, at the same time each day, write down three or more items you are thankful for. It may be a person, an accomplishment, or even something as simple as the sound of bird song in the morning. Either in thought or written word, take some time to explore how and why your life was improved and how you felt.
- Gratitude Letters: Write a letter to someone each week, whether you send it or not. In the letter tell them how they impacted your life, what you admire about them and why you are grateful that you know them.
- Meditation: Quiet your mind for at least 10 minutes; be present and focus on what you are thankful for. There are several guided meditations online that can help you make gratitude a habit. Find one that works for you and use it daily.
Gratitude is not a silver bullet when it comes to solving all our challenges. It is, however, one of the resources we should have in our wellness tool belt. Pain, grief, and loss are part of life. Untamed, our inner critic will always try to react first and lead us down a path of negativity. Gratitude helps us to strengthen positive emotions, quiet the discouraging voice, and help us face difficult situations.
Wellness Challenge: Pick one gratitude activity and do it consistently. Take stock at the end of the month of how you are feeling. Is your inner critic quieter? Did you react differently to a difficult situation? Overall, has gratitude changed the way you feel?
At Blu Haven we believe that a healthy body, soul, and mind are all important to wellness. Find out how our therapists can help you find tranquility and feel replenished. Set up a discovery call today.