1st March - Give the Ultimate gift on World Compliment Day

Way to go!

1st March is ‘World Compliment Day’ , so today is apparently all about being openly positive towards others, recognising their strengths and sowing the seeds of happiness through giving compliments - though it does seem curious that one day would be enough for this…

March is a month that seemingly ‘comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb’. It’s no surprise to learn that the Anglo Saxons called March “Hlyda”, meaning “loud”, because of the roaring winds and thunderous storms which were so common.

As the start of the spring season, it’s also interesting to know that the Romans named March after Mars, their god of war, because March was the month when military campaigning got underway again after the shutdown of winter.

The Gift of Dopamine

Did you know that praising others activates the reward circuit in the receiver's brain, heightening their focus and motivation? When you praise someone, that person is experiencing a good feeling which is the result of a surge of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced by the hypothalamus - a small region of the brain that helps us feel pleasure. It's an important part of our reward system, so the brain releases dopamine when you do things that feel good or when you achieve a goal or complete a task.

These little rewards often make the difference between a good day and a bad day. Not surprisingly, the word ‘compliment’ itself also used to mean ‘gift’.

It’s also important to ‘self-compliment’ and this is often very challenging for many people. They can happily give compliments to other people, but give themselves a hard time over trivialities, repeatedly telling themselves off. Of course, this negative self-talk can be seriously damaging if it is constant or particularly harsh or unfair.

 So, this March, let’s all consider working harder to compliment others, sincerely and from the heart, but also take some time to be our own best friend.

 Challenging negative chatter through cognitive hypnotherapy

 If you know your negative self-talk is weighing you down, cognitive hypnotherapy can be really helpful in changing some of those critical messages we tell ourselves. In particular, the ‘word weaving’ suggestive recordings taught by the Quest Institute and its founder, Trevor Silvester, is an effective and bespoke way to override much of that harmful internal chatter and works to replace it with positive self-talk. That can be a really amazing and life-changing ‘gift’ to yourself.  

Take a look at my website to learn more about how cognitive hypnotherapy can help: www.alisonscottcognitivehypnotherapy.co.uk