In a world that often seems dominated by sad and worrying news, combined with stresses of every day life, it can sometimes feel difficult to maintain a positive outlook. Thankfully, hypnotist and best-selling author Paul McKenna has a simple tip to help us focus on the good in our lives and bring about a mindset shift.
He has written countless books on rewiring your mind and behaviours to achieve everything from sleeping better, becoming better with money and losing weight. Now, during a recent appearance on This Morning, he offered up "the smallest thing with the biggest benefit" to feeling more positive - and that’s a gratitude list.
When asked by Ben Shephard what people can do to make a positive change in how we approach life, Paul replied, "The smallest thing with the biggest benefit is a gratitude list. This is something I do every day."
He gave one small example, "take a walk in nature" as a first step in feeling gratitude for what you see and feel. The idea that simply being outdoors and engaging with nature more can be beneficial to your health has long been accepted.
Earlier in the year, Miranda Hart credited walking in nature for helping her chronic illness. And even Princess Catherine has turned to the power of nature for solace and comfort more following her cancer treatment, hailing it as a "quiet teacher and a soft voice that guides", helping "to heal" in a series of Instagram posts.
As Paul explains, there are other ways to achieve this feeling of gratitude.
You can also make note of some of the bigger things we often forget to stop and appreciate. As he explained, stop and think "I'm grateful for my health. I'm grateful for the love in my life, family and friends. I'm grateful for the job I do… [having a] comfortable bed, roof over my head.
"But then I also go in on the smaller things, things like the first cup of tea in the morning, the beauty I notice in nature".
There are two reasons for doing this, according to the self-help expert. The first is it "affirms to the subconscious mind, abundance."
The second relates to what he calls "the golden rule in modern psychology", which offers the idea that "you get more of what you focus on".
He explained, "People that are focusing on things that they don't have, focusing on lack and inadequacy, reinforce that. But when you think about, ‘oh, I've got this, I'm grateful for this, I'm grateful for that’, what it does is it says, firstly, I'm abundant, but it says to the mind, go create more of that."
