The pandemic is a challenge. Because our survival brains are trained to scan for threat, we are likely experiencing more negative emotions than usual.
One way to increase positive emotions is to turn positive facts into affirmative experiences. This is a type of gratitude practice, Note and Appreciate, that requires you to inventory the small positive happenings from your day and savor them for a few seconds.
- Have a good hair day?
- Meet your steps goal?
- Laugh at your kid, cat, or dog?
- Enjoy the crisp fall air?
- Improve someone’s day?
Takeaway: Take a few minutes to note the small joys of your day and then a few beats to feel happy or proud.
Source Rick Hanson, Taking in the Good, Greater Good Magazine, Nov. 1, 2009, https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/taking_in_the_good.