Gratitude and appreciation practices

For the majority of us, the mind has a natural negativity bias. The mind’s primary role is to help the organism that is us, survive. Therefore it’s vital it thinks the coiled vine we see on a tree is a snake, before it realises it is just a vine. Likewise, it looks for faults and threats in people, situations and in our own circumstances. There is a teddy to compare and to find ourselves experiencing a sense of lack. These practices help up to connect to what is already good in our lives – the wonderful things that are already here that we overlook and naturally take for granted. The more we practice the more we notice and the better we feel. Positive emotions are generated, crowding out fear, anger and sadness. We sleep better, feeling more kind and compassionate, have more to give others, need less ourselves, and our immune systems get stronger.