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31. Gratitude in the Wild: Accept What Is

In this episode, we're talking about the element of Gratitude and the second of our strategies to put it into practice (see the first strategy in episode #30). This strategy of "Accepting what is" can be tough. Interestingly, even accepting the good things in our lives can be tough. We'll talk about why this happens and also identify some key obstacles that keep gratitude at a distance (i.e., mindlessness, grasping, and aversion), and how we can open up to accept the good, the bad... and everything else. You'll also learn a super simple gratitude practice that is worth two million dollars!

p.s. We're grateful you're here with us at the Joy Lab! 

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Key Takeaways:

  • Acceptance is not the same as giving up. Acceptance actually gives us an honest platform to work from. If we choose to fight, we can and we can be more clear about what we're dealing with and what needs to be done. We might also choose to let things be as they are and let ourselves feel better about them. It's really just when we're unwilling to accept things as they actually are, that we get ourselves into trouble. 
  • Some key obstacles can stand in the way of gratitude and acceptance. These are: aversion, grasping, and mindlessness. And of course... cheraphobia!
  • Cheraphobia is the fear of being happy. It's surprisingly common. Gratitude and acceptance are powerful strategies for this. 
  • You can use your hands as a real-time neurofeedback tool to practice gratitude and acceptance (it's cheaper than a 2 million dollar fMRI machine!)

 

Links Mentioned:

 

On Jan 1st, 2025, the Joy Lab Podcast and Program moved from Natural Mental Health to the nonprofit Pathways North.

 

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