December Week 4: The Appreciation Drug

These last week/s of the holidays coming up to the New Year can be full of both joy as well as stress. Since this month’s theme is PLEASURE, I would like to give you a quick and simple way to change your mind state from stressed to pleasurable in a very short time.

Did you know that when you are in a state of gratitude and appreciation your brain emits the feel good hormone dopamine? That’s right, when you appreciate something, your mind immediately calms down and gets a warm and fuzzy pleasurable feeling, dare I call it a ‘blissed out’ feeling? Better than a glass of wine and less calories.

So for the remaining days of this month/year, I would like to focus you on creating a lot of appreciation in your life. Here are some simple do-able tips that will help you stay bathed in pleasurable emotions even when things get stressed or dysfunctional over the holidays.

1. APPRECIATE YOURSELF. Take a few moments each day and focus positively on your self.  Find at least 5 new things you can appreciate about your self every day. You can focus on physical things, emotional things, habits you have etc.
   • I appreciate my hair, I love the color that it is.
   • I appreciate the work I put into decorating the tree, it looks beautiful.
   • I appreciate that I am so good to my dog. I really look after him and make sure he is well cared for.
   • I appreciate my manners. I always say please and thank you.
2. APPRECIATE YOUR SURROUNDINGS. It is easy to compare and despair with what other people have.  Instead, by focusing positively on the things that are in your life, we change our relationship to them and allow those things to give us more pleasure.
   • I appreciate the way the sun shines through my bedroom window.
   • I appreciate my car and that it gets me around where I need to go.
   • I appreciate Los Angeles and that the weather here is usually so great.
   • I appreciate the color of my kitchen.
   • I appreciate my office and that it is always so quiet.
      
3. APPRECIATE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY - OUT LOUD! Giving the people in your life appreciation is not only a gift for them, but a gift for you. Everybody feels good when appreciations are flying. Even when you are upset or mad with someone, if you focus on things that you appreciate about them, it immediately changes your attitude and your inner emotional state! Don’t expect to be appreciated back; you are giving these appreciations as gifts, no strings attached.
   • I appreciate your letting me know that you are going to be late.
   • I appreciate how generous you are with my kids.
   • I appreciate your funny laugh, it makes me laugh.
   • I appreciate how kind you are.
   • I appreciate how much you love sports!

For these weeks leading up to the New Year,  make a commitment to surround yourself with appreciation and discover the pleasure of being able to move quickly out of a negative emotional state into a positive one very quickly.

I appreciate your reading this all the way through!

Happy Holidays and New Year - I appreciate you!!!