Did you know that feeling grateful can re-wire your brain to be happy and think positively. According to a study by Dr. Alex Korb PhD, being grateful changes your brain chemistry by activating the brainstem region that produces dopamine. In his book “The Upward Spiral” Korb talks about how feeling down can feel like a downward spiral, but the opposite is also true. Feeling grateful can train the brain to be positive. Think about how you feel after you work out?
In technical terms – gratitude changes the brain by boosting “feel-good” neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, activating reward centers, and strengthening neural pathways for positive emotions, effectively rewiring it for increased happiness and reduced stress. It calms the fear center (amygdala), activates the prefrontal cortex for better emotional regulation, and counters the brain’s negativity bias, leading to improved mood, focus, resilience, and overall mental well-being (Valis, 2023).
I want you to stop right now and think about three things that you are grateful for? Your house, your relationship, your kids, your friends, your boat, the air you breathe and more. I know that when you stopped to think about what you are grateful for that you had a positive wave of energy go through your body. I bet you might even notice a small smile on your face when you thought about what you are grateful for.
With everyday life, we can forget to stop and be grateful for the little thinks like the sun rises or sun sets. The sun on our faces. When we focus on positive things we are training our brain to become more positive and to look for more positive and grateful opportunities.
When you start to feel yourself slipping to the negative side and negative thoughts, I want you to ask yourself two questions.
- At this moment, what I am a grateful for?
- In this moment, what do I want to remember?
Asking yourself those two questions will help you trigger your brain to think positive. It will reprogram your thinking and thought process towards positive stimulation. You can use these two questions when you start to worry, when you feel your anxiety rising or when you feel a little blue or depressed. The key to this exercise is to create a positive thought process.
Think about it, when you are having a bad day, doesn’t it seem that everything does wrong? Do you think that is a coincidence or do you think your brain is telling you something or it is your brain telling you something because it is trained that way.
The real question becomes, do you want to re-wire your brain to think more positively or continue down the path that you are currently taking? Re-wiring your brain is like any new habit, you need to start, practice and instill the action in your activities. Want to create a positive habit, go to the gym. At first it is hard, but after a while it becomes easier. Want a bad habit, start smoking and we both know where that will lead. Re-wiring your brain to think positive and to create a positive mindset really isn’t all that hard if you think about it.
Are you ready to re-wire your brain? Let’s start today and let’s start together!
References:
Valis, I. (2023, February 23). The Neuroscience of Rewiring Your Brain with Gratitude. Medium.
https://ion-valis.medium.com/the-neuroscience-of-rewiring-your-brain-with-gratitude-29f129f3c176
