People with these conditions tend to have lower levels of feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin…
One great way of boosting your serotonin and dopamine, as well as boosting your mood in general, is to practice gratitude.
Gratitude is also useful, because when we are unwell, our minds tend to focus on what is not going well in our lives. But we have so much else to be grateful for; gratitude can help reduce our anxiety. It helps to build new neuropathways in the brain that can lead to better chemicals being released like dopamine.
Please write down 25 things that you are grateful for in life. These things could be people in your life, situations, things. What is important is that we don’t just write down a list of people and objects. Like “my washing machine”, “my husband”. That is not actually engaging in gratitude. It is about going one step deeper by being specific as to why you are grateful, e.g. “I am grateful that my partner makes me feel loved”, or ”I am grateful for the food on my table today”.
Let’s pause now and spend some time writing these things down….it is really worth it. And then please put this sheet on your wall and read it every day to help make yourself feel better.
For more information, please see my video below:
