The Practice of Gratitude
As humans, we have the capacity to gently direct our inner attention and this aids us in significantly fine tuning our awareness and consciousness. This blog will explore how a daily and focused gratitude practice expands and deepens our awareness and most importantly how that serves our overall health.
Firstly, I feel it is crucial to understand what gratitude is not. Gratitude is not a forced positive emotion, and it is not about bypassing or denying life's challenges or its hardships. We do not use gratitude as a glossy overlay on top of our experience. In fact, if gratitude is truly going to be of deep benefit, it requires us to accept the full range of our inner human experience, while also honestly appraising the external circumstances we are in.
What gratitude does do, is it helps us become consciously aware of what we value and what brings our life meaning, maybe most especially when we are in distressing and difficult times. The practice of gratitude cultivates an “And/Both” mindset that helps us to embrace the complexities of life. As humans, we have the incredible capacity to hold two (or more!) different emotions at the same time. The more we hone and develop this capacity, the healthier and more resilient the neuro-plasticity in our brain becomes.
As Rumi said, “You are the master alchemist” and modern neuroscience now confirms this to be an absolute truth. Cultivating a gratitude practice requires just a little gentle effort and yet it yields exponential alchemical results for your brain and nervous system.
Here are just a few of the neurobiological benefits of a daily gratitude practice:
Gratitude triggers the brain's reward system. It releases dopamine.
It increases Serotonin Simulation which helps act as a mood stabilizer.
Expressed gratitude triggers the bonding hormone oxytocin.
Deeply felt gratitude stimulates endorphins which act as mood boosters.
A regular practice significantly lowers the stress hormone cortisol. Lower cortisol levels improve sleep quality, reduce food cravings associated with high cortisol levels, improves our immune and inflammatory responses, reduces anxiety…the list goes on!
Let’s do a brief contrast…
Here’s what happens to our brain on social media platforms and with chronic news exposure:
Tolerance Development: Over time the brain needs more stimulation to achieve the same rewarding effect. This leads to an ongoing increase of screen time.
Instant Gratification Preference: Constant immediate rewards train the brain to prioritize short term hits over long term goals and deep sustained effort.
Cognitive Overload: The barrage of continuous news and information overwhelms the brain's ability to process and integrate information meaningfully leading to a decrease in critical thinking.
Chronic Cortisol Elevation
Even brief exposure to negative news primes the brain to have stronger emotional reactions to minor daily stresses.
Given these findings, if we really want to do something about our anxiety and stress, we need to actively choose HOW we want to start our day. As a “tiny experiment”, I invite you to start each day with a gratitude practice rather than on social media. Consider practicing this for 4 weeks and notice if you feel or see a difference within your mind and psyche.
So, how does one implement a gratitude practice? What might it look like?
The beautiful news is that a gratitude practice can be implemented easily, is highly accessible, and virtually free of charge! I practice gratitude in three different ways in my life.
I have my morning reflective practice. I sit down every morning with my tea and journal and write out everything I was grateful for in the proceeding day and what I am grateful for in the present moment. I am always surprised by the simple events and moments I could have easily taken for granted or overlooked had I not taken this time. It shows me everything that is working well in my life.
I choose to make an effort throughout my day to express my sincere gratitude to the people I come in contact with who are making my life easier, more pleasurable, or meaningful. I say thank you and I say it often.
Finally, at the end of the day, my husband and I share three things we are grateful for. We do this before we eat our dinner.
Gratitude expert, Dr. Robert Emmons, shares findings that in 2-3 weeks many people start to experience an increase in flow of positive emotions. In 4 weeks a regular practice can lead to measurable changes in brain chemistry that will have a direct impact on mood, improved sleep, and better refreshment upon waking. After 30 days of practicing gratitude, you will build what they call a "grateful disposition” which acts as a buffer against stress and aids in faster recovery from trauma. At the 3 month point, deeper changes occur including reduced stress and anxiety levels and greater ease in interpersonal relationships.
Don't just focus on what you are grateful for, include the why.
If you would like to read further about the science of gratitude, consider Dr. Robert Emmons’ book: Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier.
There are also several interviews with him that you can watch online for free.
