than those writing about aggravations. Writing a thank-you letter to someone we haven’t appreciated enough in the past can induce a sense of well-being that lasts for at least six months, a University of Pennsylvania study found.


Gratitude can be cultivated simply by daily journaling;


writing a list every few days oſten works even better, research indicates. Te more concrete the items are and the more freshly observed, the better: Rather than, “I’m grateful for my daughter,” it might be, “I’m grateful for my daughter because she made me laugh at breakfast by making a funny face.” Some people kick off their day by writing two thank-


you emails; others find creative ways to fold gratitude into relationships. During the pandemic, Nadia Charif, a San Jose- based wellness and health advisor at Coffeeble.com, shared with her boyfriend a note-taking phone app in which they wrote the ways they appreciated each other during the day. “Somehow, no matter how frayed our nerves were, we remembered the last lovely entry and melted like ice to water,” she says. “It diffused many arguments before they escalated.”


6 Quiet the noisy mind with meditation, prayer and mindfulness


Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, Newberg and other neuroscientists studied meditating Buddhist monks, prayerful Catholic nuns and mindfulness meditators. Tey found that each practice has its own distinctive pattern of brain activity, yet all three deactivate the brain regions that underlie mind chatter. Tat “default mode network” is constantly ruminating, nagging and making sure we avoid trouble. Sustained spiritual practices gradually turn down its everyday volume, which may explain in part the well- documented link between spiritual practices and well-being. Even brief meditations can have a quieting effect, counsels New York City psychologist and mindfulness teacher Loch Kelly, author of Shiſt into Freedom. In a quiet moment, he suggests, “Ask yourself, ‘What is here right now if there is no problem to solve?’”


7


Lift up others with a positive outlook


Te more we give with a full heart, the more happiness we experience, studies show—and the benefits radiate far beyond ourselves. Following nearly 5,000 people over 20 years, Harvard researchers found that one person’s happiness triggers a chain reaction up to three degrees away, liſting the spirits not only of friends, but friends’ friends, and their friends’ friends’ friends. Effects can last up to one year. It’s a vital way to help the world, says Fredrickson. “Te happiness that you experience together with others has ripple effects, both biological and behavioral, that make whole communities healthier.”


Health writer Ronica O’Hara can be reached at OHaraRonica@gmail.com.


August 2021 17


Meditation, HYPNOSIS, NLP


Diane L. Ross, M.A.


Certified Hypnotist, Neurolinguistic Programming Practitioner Releasing Blocks, Regressions,


Weight Loss, Spiritual Guidance


Private and Group Sessions Classes Also Available on CD 407-898-7918


www.dianeross.com


The Keys To Life Mastery by Diane L. Ross $19.95


Meditations for Miracles:


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