There’s plenty of evidence to show how gratitude makes us SO much happier … but when we’re depressed, it’s hard to go there!!
Instead, try to think of some things that give you just a tiny smile … a particular colour, a certain type of art, a particular piece of comedy, a song?
It’s been shown that even looking for such things, even if we can’t find many, changes our brain state.
I was hesitant to even begin this exercise myself, I couldn’t think of anything, but then I remembered “Boaty McBoatface” … it just tickles me pink that human beings have this kind of humour. And then I was able to think of more and more … here’s the list I came up with, for inspiration. Yours will be different, of course.
elephants
boaty mcboatface
toddler grammar
cats
puppies
my kids verbally sparring with each other
cream cheese icing
moments of connection on WhatsApp with whole family
art – other people’s and my own
quirky games, like that one zac was talking about
people being hilarious
people working for peace
contact improv
good cuddles
peppermint oil
popping bubble wrap
getting excited about a new project
people who love me
my hat and boots
soft grass under my feet
good climbing trees
coffee tables
netflix
the internet!
the advent of AI and seeing what happens
living in the computer age
seeing if we survive climate change
staying open to the possibility that I will add something to the world
producing something of worth (like my NVC wallet guide)
dominic barter
focusing
libraries
good markets
mosman gorge
ivy
nodding violets
native violets
moss
terrariums
fungi
colours
having hands that can make things
rainforests with rocky creeks and fresh water
fern trees
paper mache
programming
shell scripts
lego
paper sculpture
beauty
rings
helping people
bringing relief
making wedding cakes for favourite cousins
massive ferns
wooden floors
wooden huts
treehouses
ziplines
swings
trampolines
trapezes
bouncy castles
craft classes
AA meetings
AA similarities
AA friends
notebooks
