Have you ever had a bad day?
I would like to pose to you that you have not, in fact, had a bad day – ever. You have had bad happenings, gotten bad news or hit bad traffic, but have you ever had a day where nothing good happened?
November is a great time to reconnect with the good things in your life. Start recognizing the beauty around you, the kind people, and the pleasant weather. Notice the delicious coffee you have in the morning, the car who slowed to let you merge on your busy commute, or the fact that your hair looks great today.
I propose that you try something for one week: a gratitude journal. Keep a notebook by your bed, and before you close your eyes to go to sleep, write down just one thing that you are grateful for that day. It could be as big as a promotion or successful open heart surgery your dad just had, or as small as the person who held the door for you when you were leaving work.
When you train your brain to notice things, you will start noticing them more and more. If you are always looking for the bad, your brain will start to search for these things, you become negative and completely miss all of the amazing things in your life. However, if you start to wire your brain to see all the good and the opposite happens – you stop having “bad days”, you become more optimistic and you start to focus on the positive.
By simply asking yourself to write down one thing that you are grateful for every night, you are training yourself to see these things during the day and be more attentive to what is good. If you do this for one week, I know you will want to continue. You will see a change in your attitude and demeanor, and you can bet others will see that in you too.
If you feel so inclined, add to our tree when you are in the clinic this month. We love sharing what we are grateful for.
