This morning when I lifted my feet out of my bed I immediately cringed at the cold seeping through the window that was cracked open.
Raised in Southern California, I’m no friend of the cold, and instantly my mood went from neutral to Minus 2.
Grumbling, I headed to the bathroom to discover my partner had used up the toothpaste and not replaced it. Mood drop to Minus 4. In the kitchen I was confronted with the fact that my smoothie banana had gone bad. Mood drop to Minus 6.
I could keep on going like that because it was, you know, ‘one of those days’. But then I remembered I had a secret weapon - a tool that, as demonstrated by scientific research, will raise moods, lower stress levels and makes you happier: GRATITUDE!
For the sceptics amongst you who think that gratitude is the new fad, similar to crystals and other nonsense spread to prey on the naïve and gullible, I can assure you that there have been over 100 studies across multiple reputable universities such as Harvard that have proven gratitude is a major player in mental and relationship health. That’s right, it starts with you.
These WoW Crystals are pretty cool though and I’m a softy, Vanilla WoW is calling to me next year. So in wake of the Diablo mess (Come on, mobile guys…?) I’m still grateful for this and the Warcraft 3 remake! GRATITUDE, even with 200 thousand dislikes…
It kind of makes sense: your thoughts are influenced by what you spend the most time doing, right?! If you expose yourself to negative thoughts all day you shouldn’t be surprised if you think your day was bad.
But gratitude surpasses the personal: showing thankfulness towards others makes their day better, too! And Gratitude can do so much more:
Emotional intelligence guru, Dr Travis Bradberry, says that when you’re stressed or unhappy, naming 3 things you’re grateful about will not only make a difference at that moment, but when cultivated, make you a much happier and pleasant person within days. And that’s gonna help friendships, parties, and dates.
Ok 3 things, here goes:
World of Warcraft Vanilla, Warcraft 3 Reforged, Diablo 4….wait.
So if you’re feeling sad, unwanted, tired, frustrated, cold or just plain lonely, why not list 10 things you are grateful for? Don’t wait, do it now – you’ll be surprised by how blessed you are!