By: Emily Klarke, LFMTA
Over the summer I was experiencing higher levels of stress than normal. I found my brain naturally gravitating towards all of the events in my life that were stressful and overwhelming. Before long, I found my mood beginning to shift in a way that I did not recognize. I noticed that I was more irritable, frustrated, and emotionally dysregulated and was not connecting as well with my friends and family around me.
One morning I woke up and realized something needed to change. At that moment, I decided to grab an old notebook that had been collecting dust on the side of my desk. I proceeded to sit down and write down some of the small things in my life that I was grateful for. The list started out simple… “I am grateful for the sweet text I received from my friend just checking in” and “I am grateful for the ability to make a coffee at home and go for a walk”. After writing down three to four small things, my brain could not stop thinking of all of the small things in my life to be grateful for. Don’t get me wrong, the challenges and stressors of life did not go away in that moment, but instead I found myself not dwelling on them. I noticed my body begin to relax and I began to feel motivated to have a good day. Since that experience I have been utilizing the practice of gratitude in my day to day life, and have encouraged family and friends around me to do the same.
As we are entering into the holiday season, which by nature brings a lot of feelings of stress and busyness, implementing the practice of gratitude into your life, as well as the life of your family, could be incredibly rewarding.
While it sounds simple, the effects of this practice are rooted in science. Studies have found that exercising the use of gratitude in our day to day life’s has incredible benefits in our individual well-being and physical health. Gratitude is more than just feeling happy when we feel our life is currently going our way, instead it forces us to look for more of the goodness we are receiving in our day-to-day lives. It is also important to note that gratitude can coexist with your anxiety, grief, frustration, or depression. Holding space for both can create a balance that allows for moments of comfort and hope to sustain you, even in the midst of a difficult season.
Practicing gratitude also physically calms your body by activating the parasympathetic nervous system which is the system responsible for helping you "rest and digest”. Gratitude leads to lower blood pressure and increased vagal tone, which indicates that your body is shifting into a state of relaxation and conserving energy. By slowing your heart rate and stimulating digestion, this calming effect on the nervous system serves as a key mechanism for reducing physical stress. In fact, a study on heart-failure patients revealed that those who kept an eight-week gratitude journal showed more resilient heart rhythms than those receiving standard care alone, demonstrating that gratitude can directly support better heart health.
There are many ways to implement gratitude into your day to day life. Some of my personal favorites include gratitude journals, gratitude jars, and gratitude walks. Implementing these practices into your daily routine can help improve mental health, boost self-esteem, and help you feel more satisfied in your day to day life. Individuals who practice gratitude report feeling happier, deepening resilience, and ultimately strengthening their positive recall. There is power in being able to see the good things around you even when times feel dark and hard.
The practice of gratitude is contagious. What begins within oneself can easily spread to the relationships around you. As we enter into the holiday season it can be easy to fall into the busyness of the season, but slowing down and training our brain and heart to be looking out for the small gifts that show up in our day to day lives can significantly improve the stress and chaos that this season can bring. It could also be beneficial to explore ways to incorporate the entire family into this practice of gratitude.
Now as we conclude this article, take a deep breath and name one small thing you are grateful for right now. Below are some resources to help get yourself and your family into the practice of implementing gratitude into your day-to-day life.
Resources to try:
