When we’re in the thick of it, the good can be hard to see.
We may be carrying grief, stress, uncertainty, or exhaustion. Add difficult headlines and everyday responsibilities, and it can feel as though everything asking for our attention is something painful.
That’s why we call it Hunting the Good.
The word hunting
means intentional action. We pause, look closer, and search for something good that might otherwise slip past us. Because it’s there—even when it isn’t obvious.
No camouflage or deer stand required. Just a moment to look.
Why the Difficult Things Get Our Attention
Master Resilience Training teaches “Hunt the Good Stuff” as a skill for countering negativity bias, our tendency to give more attention to negative experiences. The practice encourages optimism and positive emotions such as gratitude.
Think about a day when several things went well, but one painful conversation stayed with you all evening. That conversation matters. Yet it can take up so much space that the rest of the day almost disappears.
Hunting the Good asks us to look again.
Was there someone who listened? A moment of laughter? Something we enjoyed? A small accomplishment that took real effort?
We can acknowledge what hurt and also notice what helped.
Gratitude and Our State of Mind
Hunting the Good and gratitude work together. First, we notice a good experience. Then we consider what it means to us.
“A friend texted me” might become: “Someone thought of me and made time to check in. That helped me feel less alone.”
That reflection gives the experience room to register.
A small shift can still feel meaningful. We might finish the day recognizing that, alongside everything difficult, there was also care or connection.
What Happens in the Brain?
Researchers have explored gratitude through brain imaging. One study found that participants who practiced gratitude letter writing showed greater responsiveness to gratitude in the medial prefrontal cortex
three months later. This brain region helps process value and social information.
The finding suggests that practicing gratitude may influence how the brain responds to future experiences of gratitude.
For everyday life, we can think of Hunting the Good as practicing where we direct our attention. We repeatedly make time to recognize experiences that deserve our notice, alongside the problems we need to address.
Can It Help Physically, Too?
Research on physical benefits is promising in some areas, particularly sleep. A systematic review found that gratitude practices may improve people’s perceived sleep quality. Findings for other physical health outcomes were mixed, and stronger studies are needed.
Gratitude can be part of self-care, alongside rest, meaningful connection, and appropriate health care. We don’t have to promise dramatic physical changes to recognize the value of a practice that helps us appreciate a moment of comfort.
How to Hunt the Good
Record three good things each day and reflect on each one. Consider why it happened, what it means to you, how you or someone else contributed, and what might encourage more of that experience.
Try these tools:
- Keep a Good Things Journal.
Write down a few moments you appreciated. On a difficult day, start with one.
- Take a Positive Pause.
Give yourself 60 seconds to notice something comforting or meaningful around you.
- Recall an anchor memory.
Remember a moment when you felt supported, connected, or at ease.
- Ask, “What else could be true?”
A hard day may also contain evidence that someone cares or that you took a helpful step.
- Make room for humor.
A laugh can be a good moment in its own right.
- Balance your media input.
Give yourself opportunities to encounter kindness and uplifting stories, too.
Coffee counts. So does the person who made it for you.
The Hard Things Still Matter.
You can be grateful and grieving. You can appreciate someone’s kindness and still feel overwhelmed.
Finding something good doesn’t create an obligation to feel better immediately. If nothing comes to mind today, you haven’t failed. Give yourself time, and reach out for support when you need it.
“Today was hard, and this good thing mattered.”
Both can be true. Challenge your negative thoughts.
Take a moment today to really hunt. Look closer. What is one good thing you found?
