We're inviting you challenge your brain's natural negativity bias for 21 days, because we all actually deserve to feel better than 'eh, alright'.
The 21 Day Grateful Brain Challenge.
WITH AMY BOURKE. Behavioural modification therapist, university lecturer, smørbrødkake (sandwich cake) enthusiast.
Research shows that people who regularly and purposefully practice gratitude find it easier to cultivate positive emotions, and to move on from negative ones. They are more resilient in the face of both daily challenges and serious crises.
However, whether you're new to gratitude or a seasoned practitioner, gratitude isn't always easy. We get distracted with so much happening around us, and when things are tough the last thing we want to hear is "just be grateful".
Is this just 'toxic positivity'?
No. Gratitude should not be about pretending things are fine when they aren't, or 'putting on a brave face'.
In this challenge, designed by a behavioural analyst, we take a balanced approach to gratitude. We'll learn about the importance of compassionate acknowledgement (allowing ourselves to acknowledge things that aren't going so well), processes in the human brain that can make gratitude more difficult at times, and how to approach gratitude in a way that works with, rather than against your brain. There are 21 new types of gratitude practice to try, so you can find what works for you.
Complete them over 21 days, or at your own pace - you can choose what works for you.
How much? Pay what you can.
If you really need this course in your life, but really can't afford it, I have you covered. You can pay as little as $0.
The recommended price for the challenge is $38 (this converts to approximately $53 AUD). My most genuine thank you to those who can afford to pay full price (or somewhere in between), so I can continue to provide access to those who can't.
Whatever you're able to pay, the price includes all 21 daily challenges, all templates and materials, access to the private Facebook group, and support via FB, Instagram messenger, or email (whichever you prefer).
Click the button below to view the checkout.
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Fun and easy daily challenges
Each day you'll get a new challenge, consisting of a short introductory video explaining the rationale behind the challenge, and a new guided gratitude exercise.
Worksheets and templates
Every challenge comes with a ready-to-go template you can fill-in online or print. All exercises can also be completed without these templates if you prefer.
Access to a supportive community
You'll also get access to our private Facebook group where you can ask questions, share your experiences, and help each other to stay motivated.
Key benefits from this challenge
- Learn to interrupt negative mood and thought cycles
- Create positive mental habits and teach your brain to cultivate positive emotions more easily and more frequently
- A structured challenge makes it easier to commit to and stick to your practice
- Explore a varied range of gratitude practices and identify which work best for your brain
- Help your brain to adopt a longer-term gratitude practice once the challenge is over
- Access to an online community makes it easier to stay engaged, and get help if you need it
In this online challenge you will learn
- 21 fun and easy ways to practice gratitude
- Why the brain can sometimes be resistant to gratitude
- How to work with, rather than against your brain, to combat processes such as the negativity bias and hedonic adaption and help your brain to attend to positive information more easily
- (Don't worry, you'll learn what these things are as well)
- How to use gratitude to cultivate positive emotions and wellbeing
- Balanced ways to approach gratitude when things aren't going so well
- We'll cover topics such as gratitude for people, objects and belongings, challenging situations, the self, and much more
About Amy Bourke
Amy completed her degree in psychology in 2010, graduating with first class honours. She worked as a behavioural analyst (working to understand how various factors in our brains and external environments make certain behaviours and thought processes habitual). She also worked as a University lecturer, teaching human behaviour to students of psychology and sociology. Amy left her position as lecturer and course coordinator to pursue her passion teaching behavioural engineering and compassionate communication to a broader audience. She believes strongly that these skills should be taught not only to students of psychology, but to everyone.
I don't have much time, can I take longer to do this challenge?
How long do the practices take?
How does it work?
I don't have Facebook, can I still do the challenge?
What do I need for the challenge?
How long will it take to feel the effects of a regular gratitude practice?
Ready to build a happier brain?
Get startedThis course is right for you if you answer yes to any of the following:
- You're already somewhat sold on the benefits of gratitude but you tend to forget to think about or find it can feel ingenuine on the tough days
- You find yourself feeling pretty flat a lot of the time (you feel 'alright' but rarely have genuinely happy and fulfilling days)
- You feel irritable and snappy a lot of the time because you're overwhelmed or down a lot of the time
- You feel tense and on edge a lot
- You get stuck in rumination or negative thought cycles
- You already practice gratitude but struggle to keep a consistent habit or want a new or more structured practice
- You know you need to get some self-care going but need some structure to keep you focused
- You have occasional happy days but when you really think about it, a lot of the time you feel grumpy, agitated, or unfulfilled
- You feel bursts of happiness when you get a new phone or a new job or go on holidays, but find that it fades pretty fast before you're back to thinking "I'll be happy when..."
- You feel like nothing goes right for you a lot of the time and your emotions can be a bit of a rollercoaster some days
People with a regular gratitude practice tend to:
- Feel less intense negative emotions even when faced with the same challenging evens and situations as others
- Naturally notice more opportunities to smile or feel lucky, which tends to trigger more positive thoughts and emotions
- Be able to simultaneously acknowledge and process the tough stuff, while also feeling thankful for the good stuff
- Be more resilient when things go wrong
- Enjoy the good days more intensely and for longer
- Be able to acknowledge the tough stuff compassionately, without getting stuck in long cycles of rumination
- Have healthier relationships and feel more fulfilled within those relationships
- Derive more pleasure than the average person from simple daily experiences
- Have better emotional management than the average person
- Have less intense swings in emotion
- Move on from negative emotions more quickly
Gratitude practice isn't a 'cure all'; it's just one tool we can add to our box. However, it is almost eerily effective, and these days a non-negotiable for me.
