Reverse Bucket List ~ an exercise in gratitude and the benefits to your health

Gratitude is a learned skill, and like any other skill, it needs to be practiced daily in order to be proficient at it. Recent and ongoing studies suggest that the technique known as grateful recounting or what is more commonly known as a gratitude practice, may be beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing.

Researchers have discovered that both the hippocampus and the amygdala, which are responsible for emotional regulation and memory, are activated in the brain when having feelings of gratitude. Thus, releasing dopamine and serotonin, which are the naturally occurring "feel good" chemicals in the brain, as well as a reduction of cortisol levels in the body. Therefore, reducing stress, anxiety, promoting healhtier sleep patterns, and increasing accessibility to memories. Practicing gratitude everyday strengthens and enhances the connections of these neural pathways and creates more permanence of positivity.

As we all know, often times life gets hectic, and we forget to be grateful for the little things. We get caught up in the everyday drama and the everyday shuffle of life. So many of us don't appreciate what we already have. We don't stop to smell the roses.

In our Insta world of Insta gratification, we are quick to move on to the BBD (the bigger, better deal). There is no level of commitment, and no drive to stick with something till the end. No vision for the future, or the ability to see the bigger picture.

Everything has an easy out. Everyone has an excuse for why they didn't, or how they will eventually get to it one day. We have become a society of one uppers, complainers, and excuse makers. In turn, creating a culture of tear down, instead of a culture of build-up. I have made it my mission to try to see the other side of the coin, to find the silver lining in all of the chaos. Gaining the skills and awareness to maximize, not minimize my experiences. How to build-up, not tear down, my own life experiences as well as others experiences, and acquire the ability see things to the end. Most of all, cultivating healthy habits and a healthy mind set.

In an effort to spark my own appreciation for the life that I already have, I created a reverse bucket list. A list of all my accomplishments, places that I've traveled to, and life experiences that have shaped who I am today. I challenge you to create your own Reverse Bucket List. Begin by writing down whatever comes to mind and see how much you have already accomplished in your life. Keep a list in your notes on your iPhone and continuously add to it.

My list is a work in progress, and I am always adding to it. Every time I write something new, I quickly read through the list, and it reminds me of how much I have actually traveled and accomplished in my life. Now it's your turn to go write your own Reverse Bucket List. Keep adding to it as you go through life. You will be surprised how many places you have been and how much you have already accomplished.

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Citations

9 Apr 2019 by Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury, BA

https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/#google_vignette

Watkins, P. C., Uhder, J., & Pichinevskiy, S. (2015). Grateful recounting enhances subjective well-being: The importance of grateful processing. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(2), 91–98.