A Simple Trick for a Happier Holiday Season

Just a quick note for this holiday season. If you’re feeling stressed, frustrated, or a little melancholy, give this simple trick a try; look for the boring, little, good things in your day, your family, your home, your life . . .

Maybe you’ve heard me mention Rick Hanson’s saying,

“Our brains are like Teflon® for the good and Velcro® for the bad.”

(Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author.)

Remember that our brains ignore the boring good stuff because it isn’t a threat; we don’t need to take action to keep ourselves safe. Our brains are wired to focus on dangers and problems as part of our survival instinct.

So this holiday season, take a moment now and then to notice some little things that are easy to take for granted. Here are a few I’m feeling grateful for;

• My soft, warm bed
• A vehicle with a heater that is comfortable to drive
• Indoor plumbing (remembering stories from my grandmother about the cold outhouse)
• My comfortable and warm slippers

Hmmm. There seems to be a theme of comfort and warmth to my list.