Can a bottle really change your mind?

My favorite quote from James Clear's book Atomic Habits, 

A friend of mine named Lori once told our MOPS (Mother's of Pre-Schoolers)  group that the importance of your day is in the minutia. As a mom of littles it often feels like 95% of your day is monotonous minutia. In fact, kids (and adults) feel more comfortable with routine so why wouldn't we want it? Knowing what to expect adds some peace to your day. However, when you are in the thick of motherhood, with small babies at home and life is lived in the 3 hours between feeding and naps, there is not much time or energy left for something that makes you feel like you are really living your life to its fullest potential. 

Thanks to social media, we see so much of other people – people we know, people we barely know, and people who aren't even real – that our life starts to feel a little vanilla. It feels hard to get excited about folding another load of laundry, changing the sheets again on the bunk bed, or making a meal that the majority of tiny food critics complain about or throw on the floor. Motherhood takes a toll on your body and your mind. Eg: exhaustion & hormones. Plus, your clothes don't fit and some of your hair falls out?! Not fair! 

What Lori and James are saying is that you can find the beauty & joy in the mundane moments of life even when you don't feel it. Our brains are funny, we can get stuck in a thought loop. It is called Ruminating. What you focus on becomes a stronger connection in your brain. But those connections are not permanent. You have the ability to change your brain. It is called Neuroplasticity. "Your brain is tremendously plastic & it is being shaped both structurally & functionally by what you do." describes Dr. Lara Boyd in her talk on Neuroplasticity. The act of being mindful, is learning to pay attention to your thoughts and your surroundings. Psychology Today describes the mindfulness benefits for mental health to include, "lowering stress levels, reducing harmful ruminating, and protecting against depression and anxiety. Research even suggests that mindfulness can help people better cope with rejection and social isolation." Which has recently been declared a National Epidemic. Mindfulness is a way to snap yourself out of harmful rumination. "The primary driver of change in your brain is your behavior. Nothing is more effective than practice," describes Dr. Boyd. If you can train your brain to be grateful for the small things every time you wash your hands or even smell the scent that reminds you of the soap. You will naturally find so many other things to feel thankful for as well. It is all about noticing and being intentional about your thought patterns. 

Gratitude bottles offer a physical reminder to stop what you are doing. Stop whatever thought is circling around in your brain, take a deep breath, smell the soap, feel the water or lotion in your hands, smile, and be thankful for something small. The repetition of this practice throughout the day will radically change your outlook on your daily life and the people in it. And like Lori & James suggest, find beauty & joy in the minutia.