The Mental Health Benefits of Gratitude
Karyn L. Flannagan, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist.
The positive effects of gratitude have gained traction over the last 10 to 15 years. While we’re only beginning to understand the profound connection between mind and body, cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is built on the idea that what you think about affects your behavior. By changing your thought patterns, you can redirect your energy to behaviors that serve you better.
Over the last two years, we have been through a lot, collectively. Living through the pandemic and the national and global reckoning with issues of social justice has highlighted the challenges and barriers that everyone has, no matter who you are or where you come from. That’s why at this cultural moment, it’s so important – perhaps more important than ever before – to understand the powerful effect that gratitude has on our bodies and minds.
Gratitude’s physical and mental benefits
Simply put, gratitude is a feeling of being thankful for something or someone. Deliberately taking a moment each day to focus on gratitude helps you to notice the good things that are going on in your life, whether they are big or small. Research has shown that a daily practice of gratitude can have a wide range of benefits for your physical and mental well-being. Gratitude has the power to:
- Promote a better sleep-wake cycle
- Strengthen our immune systems
- Change our pain threshold, with the result that we experience fewer body aches and pains
- Give us a more positive outlook by making us more aware of the good things that are happening in our lives
- Enhance mood
- Recenter and recalibrate our minds to a more positive way of thought, increasing optimism
- Connect us to a sense of something greater than ourselves
- Support and grows empathy and compassion
- Boost self-esteem
- Increase our productivity at home and at work
- Can boost engagement among employees if an organization uses gratitude
- Solidify family bonds with a daily “what I’m grateful for” moment as a family
- Decrease stress
- Reduce anxiety and depression
Gratitude helps us to stop allowing ourselves to be hijacked of joy. In this world, we experience so much negativity that derails whatever inner joy or positivity we have. A practice of gratitude helps us put less energy into what we can’ t control and keeps our focus on positive things in our lives, without erasing or ignoring life’s negative aspects.
What is a “daily gratitude practice,” and how can I start one?
It’s simple to start a daily gratitude practice, it doesn’t cost any money, you don’t need equipment or professional guidance, and it doesn’t have to take more than a couple of minutes. Here are a few ideas about ways to start:
- Write in a gratitude journal – take a minute to jot down a few things you’re grateful for. Writing it down imprints it in your mind and your memory.
- Spend two minutes practicing mindfulness around the things that you’re grateful for – quiet your mind and focus on life’s good things.
- Start a conversation with a friend or loved one, even via text, to share what you’re grateful for each day – as a bonus, it will boost your connection with that person.
It’s important to note that the things you’re grateful for do not have to be big things. Simple pleasures and small moments, from playing with your dog or hearing your child laugh to feeling the warm sun on your face, sitting down to a meal with your family or listening to music can all be worthy of gratitude.
This sounds like a commitment – how can I make sure I stick with it?
Starting a new routine or habit – even a small one like a daily gratitude practice – can be difficult. Here are a few tips to make it easier:
- Just start – try it today.
- Find the right time for your gratitude practice – First thing in the morning? Bedtime? What is easy for you?
- Connect it with another habit you already have established, like brushing your teeth or taking the day’s first sip of coffee.
- Download one of the many free apps available to support a daily gratitude practice.
- Find a gratitude buddy and keep each other accountable.
- Make a gratitude challenge and share it with others.
- Remember to include big or small things.
- Give yourself grace if you miss a day or forget – just start again the next day.
- Do an experiment. Just try it for 30 days, and then measure how you feel after. Noticing positive effects on our well-being can inspire us to keep going.
I hope you’ll give a daily gratitude practice a try. Focusing on what’s going well gives us a sense of increased satisfaction with our daily routine, which ultimately adds up to satisfaction with our lives. Good luck!
Learn more about Inova Behavioral Health Services or call 571-623-3500.