Build a habit of recalling happy memories regularly and easily

Imagine loving a movie but never watching it again. Now imagine hating a movie but replaying it every single night. Well many people do this with their memories. The great memories they forget to review regularly but the lousy ones they keep on reviewing so that they feel bad/humiliated/sad and depressed all over again (like feeling like that once wasn't enough!)

What you remember affects how you are now

Brain research shows us that the same areas of the brain are used when we strongly recall something as when we actually experience it. (1) So recalling a time when you were upset or terrified can produce these feelings again and affect your body. Conversely, strongly recalling times when you felt fantastic or super relaxed will give you those beneficial feelings again. Remembering good times regularly is good for you and this session will get you into the habit for a happier life.

But shouldn't we all just live in the moment?

Well yes and no. We need to know how to leave the past behind us and to be spontaneous sometimes. But we also need to review the past occasionally to:

• Ensure we avoid past mistakes.
• Remember what we really enjoy that is healthy so we can do more of it in the future.
• Simply feel good!

Get in to the happy habit

Thinking of good memories for just 20 minutes a day can make people more cheerful than they were the week before, and happier than if they think of their current lives, report researchers from Loyola University (2). Positive reminiscing has been found to be a positive mood booster. Psychologist Tim Wildschut and colleagues at Southampton University in the UK found that people who recall and then write down happy memories are more happy and cheerful after doing that than those who write about everyday experiences. This study also showed that people who write about positive past experiences report having higher self-esteem and have more positive feelings about friendships and close relationships.

Recalling memories in depth is more powerful than writing them down

According to research completed by Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California at Riverside found that people who wrote down favorite memories felt much better after wards but not as good as those who just replayed the memories in their heads. (The opposite is true for bad memories - writing them down makes you feel better but ruminating about them makes people feel worse)

Hypnosis the most powerful recall tool

Hypnosis is a powerful tool to re-connect with past positive events and thereby benefit from all the positive feelings they bring. This session played often will get you feeling great and better about your present and your future.

Download Happy Memory Jogger now and populate your mind with happy memories.

(1) The Wisdom Paradox How Your Mind Can Grow Stronger As Your Brain Grows Older Elkhonon Goldberg

(2) Loyola psychologist Fred Bryant cites the examples of being in a new college or town and feeling alone and how powerful reminiscing about good past times can help form a positive and optimistic feeling in the present. "Reminiscence can motivate you," says Bryant. More important, it can give you "a sense of being rooted, a sense of meaning and purpose-instead of being blown around by the whims of everyday life."