3 Mental Training Exercises That Make You Happier

Is it possible to be happier just by doing mental exercise? The answer is yes! The last two decades of research on positive psychology have shown that it is possible to train your brain and that you can actually change the way it works by increasing neuroplasticity, increasing the amount of gray matter and strengthening neural networks.

It’s just like there are different types of exercises to work on specific muscle groups and physical characteristics. In the same way, you can train different groups of mental skills that will improve your overall happiness and well-being.

But why do you need to train your brain to be happy? There is a simple answer to that. Brain scan of the cerebral cortex shows that the brain produces more electrical activity after negative stimuli. Researchers believe it is because of the brain’s tendency to focus on the negative, or more specifically, on the fight or flight response.

You can train your mind to get rid of this negative response when it is not needed. One of the best ways to do this is through positive mental exercise. If you make these exercises a part of your routine, you will begin to feel the positive changes in almost every part of your life.

In this article, we will tell you about three different mental training exercises that can help you train your brain to be happy and successful.

Mental Exercises – Practice Gratitude

It is in human nature to think of what is coming, of the next goal to pursue. This kind of optimism pushes you forward and gives you the energy to keep going. But it loses a lot of power to make you happy if you forget to be grateful for it.

Practicing gratitude is extremely powerful because it is a reminder of all you have. It can also emphasize a specific message: you do not need as many things as you think you need.

Gratitude has been linked to many different physical and psychological benefits, and happiness is one of them. So whether you do it by saying what you are grateful for for breakfast or writing a gratitude diary, it is important to remember to be grateful every day. Doing so allows your brain to focus on the positive side of things, and ignoring it only makes things more complicated. This is probably the easiest and most effective way to improve your well-being.

Breathe consciously

Breathing can have some amazing effects when you take control of it. Many people are unaware of the incredible potential of the breath as a calming, stress-relieving force. Anger, anxiety, fear, stress and tension can lead to a superficial, unhealthy form of breathing.

All you need is five minutes to breathe attentively. It does not matter if you are sad or anxious. Just take five minutes a few times a day to focus on your breathing. This is the beginning of a meditation training.

Smile

There are many studies that show that by smiling, whether you do it naturally or on purpose, you produce “happiness” in body and mind. This is because you are sending a positive message to your brain, no matter why you are doing it.

There was even a 30-year study at the University of California, Berkeley on this topic. The researchers studied people’s smiles in an old yearbook and then measured their success and well-being.

Researchers looked at things like how satisfying and lasting their marriage was. They created a points system and a standardized measure of well-being and looked at how well these things predicted the outcomes of their lives. Those who smiled at the picture in the yearbook got higher scores in each category.

The truth is that smiling is a simple exercise. Give yourself a chance to laugh and smile every day by seeing things you like, spending time with people who make you happy, reading funny things, etc .. Always remember to “put on” your smile and take it with you out. Smile when you greet people, when you deal with people, and when you meet people for the first time. It’s easy, fun and joyful. It will bring you, and the person at the other end of the smile, a lot of happiness.