Four Steps To Become Better

Four Key Steps to Feel Better

 

Make Progress.  Just keep improving.

 

Don’t compare to others.  Just compare yourself to the day before.  Many people may not be where they want to be yet but as long as they are making progress, they are happy.  In my functional medicine practice, I see many patients who suffer from depression and everything seems so daunting to them. They look at the big picture and it overwhelms them. One approach to overcome this that I have found successful is to approach the day in 10 minute increments. Focus on what you need to do for the next 10 minutes, then another 10 and so forth. When you start chunking your life down and begin to make small, steady progress, you start to feel worthy. Remember that momentum is an action that can be unstoppable in both directions and once you start seeing progression, it begins to take on a life of its own. Progress is major key to life, so continually seek improvement and forward movement. It will do wonders for your inner soul and eventually your outward appearance.

 

Give, give and keep giving.

“Did you know that when you make a donation to charity, your brain acts in a similar way to when you are having sex or eating chocolate? It’s true. Thanks to fMRI technology, researchers are able to see brain activity when certain acts are taken and in a study on charitable giving when people donated to a worthy cause, the midbrain region of the brain lit up. This is the area of the brain that is responsible for our cravings (food and sex) and pleasure rewards, showing the link between charitable giving and pleasure .  This reward or pleasure response to giving is the physiological reason behind the ‘warm glow’ or that good feeling you get when you give and why you may choose to spend money on others or charity compared to yourself. But does giving actually make you happier? According to a survey and study by researchers Dunn, Akin, Aknin and Norton, it does.”  1

 

 

Gratitude

 

One of the best ways to change your thought process is to show gratitude. At first glance, it seems very basic and simple, but when you look at it more deeply you will realize that most people don’t properly grasp the concept. When you are thankful for the air you breathe, the ability to walk or the fact that you simply woke up in the morning, your thoughts begin to change for the better. For instance, we take that for granted in North America many luxuries and privileges that many people around the world don’t have or they struggle immensely to obtain. Far too many people complain about what they don’t have as opposed to the great things they do. This world has enough negative people so why not be the change and make a difference by speaking gratitude and hope? It takes just as much energy to be negative as it does to be positive. Why limit your growth and potential by speaking words of negativity over yourself? They do not help you or your mission in this life. Your words are very powerful and they will come to fruition so be careful which ones you choose.

 

I used to get up in the morning and worry about the long day ahead and everything I had to accomplish. But all that did was overwhelm me and make me less productive. Now I arise and thank God for all he has given me and all that is coming my way. I am thanking Him in advance for all that is coming. When we take the time to reflect and appreciate this earth and the perfection that it is, we illuminate our own day and make the ones around us better people as well. When you have gratitude, you appreciate the small things. This transcends onto the people who you interact with; nobody wants to be around negative people. Instead, they enjoy spending time with people who bring positivity and lift their

Spirit.   Gratitude is the most underutilized gift you have because so many people have been conditioned to be the opposite.

 

Love

 

Love is the largest common denominator that unites people around the world. Giving love and feeling love are what people strive for. It gives them a sense of self-worth and fulfillment. That is why people get excited and nervous when they go on first dates or get married. Love lies deep within your soul and when you love someone, you connect with them on a deep, metaphysical level. People just want to be happy and love unconditionally. A number of studies have been conducted on the healing power of love, including one conducted by Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital studying orphans. The children were given unconditional love and they responded like never before. The 12 year study found that the brains of the orphans stopped developing properly after they were abandoned. Their ‘white matter’ – the part of the brain which helps neurons communicate – was significantly damaged by their ordeal leading to poor language skills and decreased mental ability. However, the researchers discovered that those children fortunate enough to find loving foster homes were able to regrow the missing connections and restore lost function.

 

 

 

1 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brady-josephson/want-to-be-happier-give-m_b_6175358.html