When somebody says the word exercise, most people will immediately think of physical exercise, but that is just one type. Another type is mental exercise; exercising the brain to perform certain tasks more quickly and easily. An example could be a mathematical exercise where you gain strength in the ability to solve certain mathematical formulas, or a problem solving exercise where you get better at working out problems or puzzles. A person who regularly does crossword puzzles will notice their ability improve over time, solving puzzles more quickly as they exercise their vocabulary and knowledge. But what else can you exercise, and can you measure an improvement from that exercise? In case you haven't guessed by the title, and the Peanuts cartoon, I am talking about exercising your ability to 'appreciate'. I had heard of people going on an 'appreciation program', which is similar to an exercise program where you repeat a task to build strength in that area, and decided to give it a go. The concept is simple - find one thing to appreciate every day. What you appreciate could be many things, but I guess the more personally meaningful it is the better the exercise works. You could appreciate something somebody does for you, you could appreciate something about yourself, you could appreciate something you did really well.
At the beginning, like in any exercise program, I found it difficult to find something to appreciate every single day; but also, like other exercise programs, it got easier and easier as time went by. It didn't matter if my appreciation for the day was a big thing or a tiny thing - it was the constant exercise that built the strength. So what is the benefit of all this appreciation? It gave me a very different outlook on life, basically opening my eyes to the good things in the world, in other people, and in myself that I simply had not noticed before. I feel more confident as I know there are so many things that I can do, and do do very well each and every day. Previously I only saw the highlights and appreciated them, but they were few and far between; now I see so many things to appreciate every single day. I can see the beauty in other people, even those I don't know, just by watching them interact with others. Most importantly though, I appreciate a lot more about myself than before - and that brings an inner joy that I've never known before.
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AuthorI love to understand things, how they work, why they happen - I'm always learning and keen to investigate... Archives
August 2023
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