When I was 16, my best friend passed away in a car accident on her way home from work. It was a devastating event that changed my life. This tragedy uncovered a long-time battle I had been having with depression and altered the trajectory of my mental health journey. This was many years ago when few people talked about depression or even understood what mental health challenges meant, but for me, it was a part of my being that profoundly impacted who I am today.
Why do I share this?
During my years of therapy, one practice I learned was journaling. In those journals, I practiced gratitude. My therapist often had me write down things I was grateful for, and sometimes, it was as simple as being thankful for getting out of bed and going to school. This practice has continued for 35 years and has honestly rewired how I see the world, my life, and how I interact with others. “A review of 70 studies that include responses from more than 26,000 people found an association between higher levels of gratitude and lower levels of depression. But more research needs to be done to understand the association,” (UCLA Health).
As we move into Thanksgiving this week and then into the holiday season, I wanted to share some ways you can rewire how you see the world, yourself, life, and others.
And don’t just take my word for it. Gratitude practice has been well-studied in psychological research and is shown to have several significant benefits on the brain and overall mindset. “Research shows that practicing gratitude — 15 minutes a day, five days a week — for at least six weeks can enhance mental wellness and possibly promote a lasting change in perspective. Gratitude and its mental health benefits can also positively affect your physical health,” (UCLA Health).
Gratitude practice:
1. Enhances Positive Emotions: Regular gratitude practice can increase levels of positive emotions, as it helps individuals focus on what is good in their lives. This shift in focus can naturally decrease feelings of envy and resentment while increasing happiness and joy.
2. Improves Resilience: Acknowledging the good things in life, even during tough times, helps build emotional resilience. It can change neural structures in the brain, making individuals less susceptible to the effects of stress and more capable of bouncing back from adverse situations.
3. Strengthens Social Connections: When people recognize and appreciate the contributions of others to their well-being, it fosters positive social interactions and deepens relationships. Feeling grateful can also make one more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors, strengthening social bonds.
4. Reduces Negative Emotions: Gratitude can reduce the prevalence and duration of negative emotions like anger and bitterness. This is partly because gratitude and negative emotions are incompatible; one’s mindset shifts towards what is positive, leaving less room for negativity.
5. Improves Physical Health: People who engage in regular gratitude practices often report fewer physical symptoms, less pain, and more vitality and energy. This might be linked to reduced stress and increased emotional well-being.
How can you get started?
Here are a few simple strategies for practicing gratitude:
1. Morning or Evening Gratitude Journaling: Start or end each day by writing down three things you are grateful for. This could be as simple as a good cup of coffee, a call with a friend, or something you’re looking forward to in the day.
2. Gratitude Alerts: Set random alarms throughout the day as a reminder to pause and think of one thing you are grateful for at that moment. This helps integrate gratitude throughout the day and not just as part of a morning routine.
3. Express Gratitude to Others: Express gratitude to at least one person each day, whether through a text, email, or in person. Sharing gratitude can amplify its effects by not only enhancing your happiness but also brightening someone else’s day.
4. Gratitude Jar: Teach others gratitude by having a gratitude jar. Encourage your team, peers, family, and friends to share their gratitude by writing a quick note about someone they are grateful for and why and placing it in the jar. If you are remote, you can start your meetings with messages of gratitude, share these verbally, or use a whiteboard as people arrive at the meeting.
Share with us. Which of these practices might you try? What are your gratitude practices?
I encourage you to try these for one week. As you start your gratitude practice, what changes do you observe in your mood, relationships, or overall outlook after a week of consistent practice?