10/31/2026
Happy Halloween, y'all! 🎃
🍬Before the candy chaos starts tonight, I want to say thank you. Getting to work with each of you this year has been a privilege, and I don't take it lightly.
Since gratitude is on my mind, I want to share something I learned recently about how it actually works in the brain.
Andrew Huberman dug into the research and said what he found surprised him. The gratitude practices that shift the brain and body the most are not the ones most of us would guess.
The strongest effects come from three things:
Receiving thanks: When people listen to a coworker read them a thank you letter, the part of the brain that gives our experiences meaning lit up.
Story: Watching real stories of people being helped through hard seasons activated those same circuits.
Meaning it: Sincere thanks land far deeper than reluctant ones, no matter how big the gesture.
Here is the simple practice he recommends:
Pick one story. A time someone truly thanked you, or a story of someone being helped that moves you.
Write down three or four short cues. The struggle, the help, how it felt.
A few times a week, read your cues and sit with that feeling for a minute or two. Same story every time.
The research connects this with less anxiety, more motivation, and in one study of women, lower inflammation almost right after practicing.
So tonight, when a kid lights up over a full size candy bar, notice that feeling. That is the circuit.
📢No tricks here!
Just a little treat for your nervous system🧠
Thank you for being part of my story this year. Have a happy and safe Halloween👻
In your corner,
-Alyssa
APH Counseling, LLC.
