Your experience of reality is largely determined by where you place your focus. If you spend most of your time paying attention to the problems in your life, you are more likely to feel anxious and troubled. Conversely, if you choose to focus on what is working in your life, or on the positive things in your surroundings, you will feel calmer and more optimistic.
It is not that your problems are not important and I am certainly not suggesting that you ignore them. However, there are many, many other aspects of your life that you can focus on.
Paying attention to your daily blessings may not change your problems, but it can transform your attitude towards life, making you better able to deal with the issues you face.
Research has shown that people who spend time appreciating their pleasurable experiences enjoy higher levels of happiness. You can replicate these experiments in your own life.
Put a pad beside your bed and right before you go to sleep write down five things that you appreciated during the day. These can be very simple things like the enjoying the successful accomplishment of a task or receiving an unexpected kindness from a co-worker. They can be sensual pleasures, such as a beautiful sunset, or the intense chocolate flavor of the ice cream you ate at lunch. Life truly is made of little things.
Practice doing this for two weeks. On the first night, record your level of happiness on a scale from 1 to 10. Then repeat this rating fourteen days later. If you are like most people, you will notice that your overall level of happiness has improved. This may lead you to continue the practice of noting the things you appreciate!
It’s a powerful way to make your good life better.
Jeannette Samanen, Ph.D.
Jeannette’s professional development began with graduate school at the University of Oregon. Her first post-doctoral position was at the Boston University School of Medicine where, as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology), where she specialized in stress management and behavioral medicine. Jeannette has had over 30 years of experience as a life coach and psychologist and derives great pleasure from helping clients transform their lives for the better.
Tags: appreciation, happiness