The Benefit of Gratitude in Our Lives
Thanksgiving is approaching this week, and it’s a good time, not just to express gratitude for things in our lives, but also to understand how gratitude can serve as a tool for enhancing our mental and physical health. In general, fostering a mindset of increased gratitude has been shown to improve overall wellbeing, as defined in emotional and physical ways, through reduced stress, improved mood, and even decreased conflict in relationships.
The Impact of Gratitude on Well-Being
The practice of focusing on anything–through mindfulness, meditation, journaling, etc.--shifts our attention away from other thoughts we may be experiencing. When we focus on gratitude, we are specifically focusing on positive emotions, while inherently also minimizing time spent dwelling on areas that cause pain or distress. While there’s a balance to be struck between minimizing negative thoughts and emotions and avoidance, learning to increase moments or experiences of gratitude in daily life has been shown to produce a plethora of positive benefits for our wellbeing, including:
Reduced stress and anxiety: By focusing on positive emotional experiences, gratitude has been shown to mitigate some of the negative impacts of stress.
Enhanced social relationships: Expressing gratitude can strengthen feelings of connectedness and overall satisfaction in relationships.
Improved mood and increased happiness: Gratitude can elevate mood and increase overall life satisfaction.
Increased resilience: Those who exhibit more signs of gratitude often tend to approach disappointments or setbacks with a more resilient mindset.
Better physical health: Some research even suggests that gratitude, along with the above positive impacts it’s been shown to have, may ultimately lead to positive effects on physical health, such as reduced blood pressure and improved sleep quality.
Practical Strategies for Cultivating Gratitude
While it can be a nebulous task to “start incorporating gratitude into your daily life”, there are several strategies that can be easy to try incorporating, and see how they impact your mindset and mood throughout the day:
Gratitude Journaling: This can be for as little as 5-10 minutes each day or every other day, but regularly recording things for which you’re grateful can provide a great start to the day.
Mindful Meditation: If you are inclined toward meditation practices, mindfulness meditation focused on gratitude, can promote present-moment awareness and reduce rumination on negative thoughts.
Expressing Gratitude to Others: Voicing appreciation to others can strengthen relationships and boost both the giver and the receiver's well-being.
Incorporating gratitude more regularly into your daily life is one tool to increase your well-being. Therapy, while often focused on areas we are most in pain, can also offer a space to safely explore what things we feel grateful for, without judgement or risk.
