The power (& science) of gratitude

Happy Friday

Summer. Beach time in Australia. Family visits and gatherings. Gift giving. The optimism and hope of a whole new year. All these and so much more can fill us with a deep sense of gratitude.

We believe expressing gratitude benefits the person we thank. However, gratitude may most best benefit the person who is feeling grateful.  We know this from personal experience, and the research is in: the practice of gratitude positively effect both our physical and mental health.

Gratitude helps us feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improves our health, helps us deal with adversity, and build stronger relationships. In fact, studies have found that a single act of thoughtful gratitude produces an immediate 10% increase in happiness, and a 35% reduction in depressive symptoms.

When we express, and receive, gratitude our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, immediately enhancing our mood.

Gratitude has the power to rewire our brains, by reinforcing positive neural pathways and diminishing the prominence of negative thoughts. And the area of our brain where anxiety comes from is the same part of your brain that feels gratitude.

Which means you can’t be grateful and anxious at the same time.

I saw a guy in the airport today with a hoodie that said: ‘I’m so happy we met’

I walked past and said: ‘me too!’ 😁

I am particularly grateful that it is my 41st wedding anniversary this week.Thanks for coming to Australia DJ 🙏😍

I’m so happy we met, grew a family and, in the third chapter of our lives, I am filled with gratitude that we have been able to build Be Well, together with our wonderful team, to share our passion for living longer, better and healthier 🥰

I am beyond grateful to the Be Well community, so many of whom are friends, and more to come whom we just have not met yet 😁

Feeling the gratitude!