Episode 16: Gratitude, Celebrations, Progress

January 24, 2023

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Calmer+Conversations with Cecelia Mandryk

Gratitude, Celebrations, Progress

Happiness and growth aren’t naturally part of your brain’s agenda, but you can train it to create new neural pathways that recognize gratitude, progress, and wins. In this episode, I break down how you can reset your brain’s default mode to enjoy life more and take responsibility for your reality in a whole different way. 

Because our brain wants to keep us alive, it spends a lot of energy searching for what might be wrong or what might hurt us. In a primal sense, this function serves us well. But, in modern life, it often manifests as anxiety, risk-aversion, pessimism, and skepticism. Your brain also has a hard time understanding your progress and celebrating your role in your success. 

The good news is, there are strategies for expanding our ability to express gratitude, see progress, and take credit for our wins. I share some suggestions for expanding your daily journaling or reflection practices that will support your personal development and growth. 

Listen to the episode on Apple PodcastsSpotify, or on your favorite podcast platform. 

Topics Covered:

  • How gratitude can contribute to your happiness 

  • Ways that your brain works to preserve resources and keep you safe 

  • Noticing when you downplay your success or progress

  • Creating less resistance around change and challenge 

  • A simple way to amp up your gratitude practice 

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About Your Host

I’m Cecelia, and I am passionate about helping people live the life they want to live and feel how they want to feel in their life. We do this together using mindset tools, nervous system regulation, and curious inquiry. I know that enjoying your life, feeling calm and even joyful is available to you.

If you’re ready to start right now, grab a recent workshop replay here on creating momentum.

Personally, I manifest in many ways- partner, mother, coach, sister, friend, daughter, citizen, feminist. I live with my husband and children way downeast Maine on a little bridge-connected island (after spending my first 35 years in cities). It’s beautiful here with the ocean and the wind.

I help my clients make big and small changes in life one step at a time.

No matter what’s happening in your life right now, I know you can feel different. I know that by working with your brain and nervous system, you can feel calm, content, joyful, AND you can still go after the big and small goals in your life (getting there will just feel different).

This process is simple and approachable.

You’re probably thinking- but it won’t work for me. I’ve tried it all or I was recently diagnosed with ADHD or I’m too old. But I promise, if you’re open to it, this work is not only transformative but suited for so many different kinds of people and brains.

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