There really is no escaping the year-end holidays. From decorations to music to parties, the season is everywhere! And, with the season, comes the expectation that this is a festive time of year and you had better get on board and be grateful.

We love and encourage feelings of gratitude. Gratitude feels good and we want to feel good, right? But gratitude can go very wrong when it doesn’t allow for a full range of emotion. When there is no space to feel anything else, gratitude can tip over into toxic positivity. So, this is a discussion of what gratitude really is and how we can access it in a healthy, authentic way.

Because gratitude is a feeling, practicing gratitude without actually feeling gratitude is an empty exercise. But when we are truly in a state of gratitude, we are creating new neural pathways in the brain. So, I also share a few techniques for a gratitude practice that can help you develop those pathways: 

• Doing mirror work  
• Telling someone what you love/appreciate/respect/value about them
• Asking someone what they love/appreciate/respect/value about you
• Journaling

Just as we’ve been conditioned over the years to think negative thoughts, these techniques and others can recondition the brain—and being able to access the new pathways literally can be lifesaving.

As always, feel free to reach out with questions, comments, or experiences that you might want to share. If you liked this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. Your feedback helps me increase the value of the program for you and makes it easier for other listeners to find us.

 

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Ways to connect with Danielle:  

• Website: danielleireland.com
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• Facebook: @danielleireland_LCSW

The “Don’t Cut Your Own Bangs” podcast is edited by Marilou Marosz.