I am grateful for...

“Where you focus your attention is what you will experience.” It may seem like a simple statement, but it has profound implication to our experience of life.
With the 24-hour news cycle fixated on the pandemic and all the implications socially, economically and medically, it’s easy to get swamped by the “bad news” presented by the media. One antidote is to foster practices that help harvest and savour positive emotions.
This idea is derived from current neuroscience research that recognises that positive experiences are like Teflon- they slip away.  Where as negative emotions are like Velcro- they stick around. 
Further more, research by Fredrickson suggests that experiencing positive emotions in a 3-to-1 ratio to negative emotions helps people experience a state of mind that can; “enhance your relationships, improve your health, relieve depression, and broaden your mind.”
Our brains are wired to focus on the negative aspects of life and these are the ones we remember easily. This is our survival mechanism at play and is part of the brain’s protective make-up. After all, if we were unable to identify a threat, our ancestors would not have been naturally selected.
On the other hand, celebrating the good things in life, the events, relationships, the wow and ah-ha moments contribute to the joy of living and it is good to train ourselves to hold onto these experiences.
Here are three practices that I am currently experimenting with to facilitate connecting with the good.

• One such practice is keeping a gratitude journal. Before you go to bed, write in your journal 3 things that went well for you during the day. As you write these things down allow your mind to re-experience the situation and why it went well for you.
• Another practice is identifying something that you are grateful for around the dinner table. In our family of three, we each reflect on one good thing that we have experienced.
• A follow on practice… Write these experiences on another piece of paper and place them in a jar. The use of a “gratitude jar” has the purpose of capturing these moments that otherwise may easily have been forgotten. This is a simple mindfulness exercise. Now every time I experience a moment of “wow or Ah -Ha !” I post myself a note and placed it in the jar. By creating a ritual where I open and reconnect with these experiences at the end of the week I harvest and savour the joys of life that would otherwise have been lost.

On a side note, many know that my father has been receiving medical treatment since Christmas and has been unable to return to his home in Western Australia. Thankfully his energy is returning and he was able to find a suitable rental apartment close to my home! I am touched by the generosity of members from the Vital Lifestyle community who have lent and gifted furniture and home wares to make my fathers stay comfortable. I am truly grateful for every ones love and support during these challenging times. For all of this I am truly thankful J

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