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Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Art of Gratitude


You have received the highest-paying job in your career, the CAT scan came back negative or your child has been accepted to the college of their choice.

On the flip side, you are still under-employed despite years of searching, after 200K miles your car bit the dust, and your house has a major crack in the foundation.

Although it may seem surprising, what applies to all of those situations is gratitude.

To some giving thanks seems a quaint concept best suited to images of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock.

However, according to our friend Dr. Brenda Wade, the key to successful living is finding ways to appreciate every situation.

Like tennis, painting or creating a cheese soufflĂ© practice makes perfect, and the same is true in developing a regular routine of gratefulness.  As you daily set aside just a minute or two or longer your brain recognizes them and develops patterns. These patterns transform into a habit and soon your brain is on autopilot mode.

Maintaining a gratitude habit reduces stress, which leads to a stronger immune system able to ward off many diseases.  While negative thoughts and actions, like violence and depression, receive more media attention some scientists and researchers, like at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California at Berkeley, are shifting the focus on the positive elements of happiness.

Dr. Wade, a respected psychologist and author, says daily affirmations filled with thanks also keep us grounded.

She suggests saying the following

“I am grateful for all I have, and all I am about to receive,” and then adding in what gives you joy and what might be required to increase it.

Should your current life be more strive than thrive, start with words of thanks for what you possess - right now.  You have breath and some clothes on your body. Do not place emphasis on what you do not have. Instead, strip down your gratitude to the simple essentials.

Then unleash the power of the Universe and thank it for what is in your future - a job, a life-partner, the acceptance of a medical condition.  Let your grateful words pave the way into your life.

Thankful fulfillment is part of a healthy lifestyle.

To view Healing Quest’s episode on the practice of gratitude click here.  

Be grateful for a healthy body thanks to these supplements.

You might also be interested in:

1.    Emotional Fitness:  Dr. Marcus Laux and Joan Borysenko offer terrific advice

2.    Herbal Insight-Mint: From ancient ages to modern day mint is an important healthy herb

3.    Healing Medicine for the Mind: Gary Malkin is an award-winning composer who uses music and images to help transform our world

4.    Online Healing: Our co-host Michele Bernhardt introduces us to private ways of connecting with our heart and soul online.

5.    Emotional Freedom: Emotional vampires are people who suck your energy dry. Dr. Judith Orlhoff advises how to free yourself.

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