This post is for @paradise-found, thank you for bringing this idea to life #gratefulvibes.

Merry Christmas to all dear Steemians. !!

Artwork by me.

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Today I want to talk a little bit about "Gratitude" and how it impacts on life.

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A lot of people are skeptical about the positive stuff like meditation and gratefulness and they say it is no use, But I have come up with some research to back up this topic.

There’s an old saying that "if you've forgotten the language of gratitude, you’ll never be on speaking terms with happiness."

People feel negative emotions over the day, many times, and they feel really bad about themselves, the more they think, the more de-motivated they become, but it is up to us how we let those emotions affect us. One of the ways to escape this crippling feeling of depression and anxiety is Gratitude.

How?

Before we get started with the "How" part, first we have to understand something about our minds, our brain is like a small child, it is easily distracted. Our human brain is designed to first focus on negative aspects, it is a form of protection, e.g. before we even ask out for a date, our thoughts change to “what if she rejects me?” “what if he is not interested in me ?” it is one way of Brain trying to say us “stay safe, don’t get hurt” So you see how the protective programming is ?It can be changed though. (stay tuned for future posts for that.)

Second thing, our brain works on a reward system, we receive a dosage of “dopamine” which is a neurotransmitter, which keeps us going on to do a certain activity, and that activity becomes a habit. So be aware of what habits you form.

Now that you know the basics of the brain's working, let’s see why we should reprogram it.

Benefits of being grateful:

• Gratitude improves mental health . Having a mindset of gratefulness will lead to less stress, less anxiety, less jealousy, less envy and all the other negative and destructive emotions. You don’t harbor resentment, you don’t get frustrated easily. There is also a lot improvement in self-esteem, which gives you a more happy feeling about yourself. Thus by having a grateful mind, you have a better mind and healthy emotions.

• Gratitude improves physical health. People with attitude of gratitude have higher levels of activity in the hypothalamus section of the brain, this section controls a huge array of essential bodily functions, including eating, drinking sleeping, metabolism and stress levels. So you see, keeping this small thing in s good mood can overall effect you heavily and you get better sleep, less pains and less stress.

• Gratitude opens the doors to more connection with others, deeper bonds with people. So if you thank a stranger for holding the door or you send thank-you note to your friend who helped you with a project, or get lift from someone, appreciating other people’s contributions can lead to new opportunities of friendship and relationships.

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These are just a few of the benefits, and you can see that it is a LOT beneficial to us.

Now some people who are going through difficult times will have a common dialogue: “I really don’t know/have anything to be grateful about.”

But is that really true??? I think not.

Are you not grateful for the eyes you have? For your legs ? For your parents? For you friends ? For the air you breathe? For the food you eat? For your cellphone? For your colleagues ? for the new awesome Netflix show ? You can be grateful about everything you can think of, the first thing you have to do is to set the mindset.

It’s not always easy to remember to be grateful, particularly since the human brain is so adaptable. We easily get used to whatever comforts are around us, so why not form a habit of being grateful? Why not make brain comfortable to be grateful??

Anyways, positive vibes aren't just for people like me. If you want in too, here are some things you can practice for starters.

• Before going to sleep, spend 5 to 10 minutes remembering the things you are grateful for, it will help you sleep better and longer and healthier. (Don’t just recite the words, have a good feeling while remembering those things, it is the feeling that counts more)

• Do the same thing in the morning when you wake up, I personally do it, and I love it.

• Appreciate your friends/ family/partners on daily basis.

And you can do it as many times you like, so why not start it now? Type in the comments about one or more things you are grateful for today.

We all have the ability and opportunity to cultivate gratitude. Simply take a few moments to focus on all that you have – rather than complain about all the things you think you deserve. Developing an “attitude of gratitude” is one of the simplest ways to improve quality and satisfaction with life.

List of experiments done with positive emotions and gratitude.

Thanks for tuning in, this has been The Wandering Artist, providing valuable content for the community and also proud member of the group #steemitachievers, Until next time, take care, be well and be grateful and feel the #gratefulvibes.

Disclaimer: All the artworks used here are my own.