The “G” Effect
The last year has been hard on everyone. But why are some people thriving in adversity while others merely survive? The answer might be gratitude. Having a daily practice of thankfulness. According to psychologists, happiness and gratitude have been shown to be heavily associated. (Simon, m.d.) How? Well, for starters gratitude reorients your focus to the positive experiences which consequently bear positive emotions. So, when your mind starts recognizing the positive experiences, you derive more pleasure out of life. It is like a brain rewire.
What if gratitude doesn’t come naturally? There is hope. You can create an opportunity for gratitude. According to researchers Emmons & McCollough in 2003, among the most effective ways of generating more positive emotions is to develop a practice of self-care. One of the easiest ways is to get into a daily practice of writing about what you are grateful for. They noted improved well-being in those that adopted a regular practice of gratitude journaling.
Well, how does one write about gratitude? Here at the Future at Play, we understand the importance of well-being first aid. So when you’re full of worries or in a huff you can apply what we call “The G Effect” which is essentially writing your way out of a current negative situation. The G effect helps your brain to rewire to happiness which leads to productivity.
So when can you use the G Effect?
The G Effect is good to use when you have anxiety that prevents you from moving forward because of fear. Or in the event of analysis paralysis, when you are overthinking a situation that your mind keeps on replaying in a million different ways to no end. Or when your brain automatically goes into dramatic overdrive, thinking the worst of the situation and it’s hard to get back to the reality because of fear. Or when you are in a rut and simply cannot seem to figure your way out of the funk.
Essentially when your rut-titude (rut +attitude) and fear is keeping you stuck. Turn your attitude to gratitude. Here is a step by step guide to actualizing a new habit of gratitude:
Step 1: Start by drawing a table like
a Pros and Cons list but instead
write: ATTITUDE and GRATITUDE.
Step 2: Write all your worries or
negative thoughts
on the left side.
Don’t skimp, just brain dump all that junk!
Step 3: Now is the time to
positively reframe everything you
have written. Take each worry or
thought and re-write it to be positive
in the right-hand column.
Reflect on your feelings as you
reword each sentence. Does it
make you feel better? Do you feel
more positive?
Put that positivity into the atmosphere!
Step 4: Repeat this exercise daily
or a few times a day if needed
and soon you will feel
an uplift in your spirits
as you rewire your brain for
happiness, and break the negative loop.
When things are hard, gratitude is not easy to come by. Daily practice will keep you going as well as those around you will also experience your shift. Share this exercise with your team, your family, and your friends in our free download below.
