At this time every year we are reminded to take a moment and reflect on what we are thankful for. This simple process of gratitude reminds us to appreciate all that we have in life, and helps us get into the holiday spirit mindset. But, gratitude goes beyond just feeling warm and fuzzy. When practiced daily, gratitude has the power to physically heal our minds and bodies.
Your Brain on Gratitude
Gratitude not only makes you feel good, it literally changes your brain.
Studies have found that grateful thoughts increase neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Having the right levels of these mood regulators help to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, as well as increase happiness. In fact, researchers have found that a daily gratitude practice can be just as effective as medication for lifting our mood.
When you consistently think thoughts of gratitude, you strengthen the neural networks in the brain that signal dopamine and serotonin. The more you do it, the stronger those neural networks become, and the easier it is to signal. From a purely physical standpoint your brain is actually rewiring itself when you make gratitude a daily practice.
Your Body on Gratitude
Your physical body has a positive reaction to thoughts of gratitude as well.
Cortisol, the stress hormone, lowers and creates a calming response throughout your nervous system. This strengthens your immune system, reduces inflammation in the body, helps you lose unwanted fat, and improves sleep.
Studies have also found that aches and pains are dramatically reduced under the influence of gratitude. Not to mention you get a boost of energy, which has shown to improve mental focus and athletic performance. In fact, gratitude is so powerful that it is essential to healing and maintaining health. You can eat perfectly, detox, and take all the right supplements, but if your mind is full of toxic thoughts your body will never truly be healthy.
The Gratitude Block
Despite all the amazing benefits of gratitude, embodying a grateful attitude on a daily basis can be a challenge.
Our brains were not designed to notice what’s going right. We are programed to notice what’s going wrong. Fear rules our brain, and for a good reason. From a survival perspective, we have to constantly be on the lookout for dangers that might harm us. Fear is always on the forefront of our minds, while gratitude is buried somewhere in the back of the brain and only comes up when something new and exciting happens.
Our thoughts also align with the law of familiarity. This is the understanding that our brain adjusts to what we have, and focuses more on what’s missing. This makes it easy for our minds to take for granted the good that is already in our life, and instead project thoughts of lack and longing for all the things that we don’t have.
Remember the excitement and gratitude you felt when you first got something that you had wanted for a long time, whether that be a relationship or a car? And can you recall how quickly the feeling of gratitude wore off once you got used to having this thing in your life? That’s how the law of familiarity works, and why being grateful for what we already have can prove to be so difficult.
The Practice of Gratitude
Just because our brains aren’t wired for gratitude naturally, doesn’t mean that you can’t train your mind to think this way.
Forming any habit involves consistency and momentum, and a gratitude practice is no different. Creating a daily ritual around gratitude is essential to changing your brain and your body. This can be as simple as taking time every morning and evening to appreciate what you have in life. Focus on your home, your relationships, your pets, or whatever you feel thankful for. Meditating or journaling on these thoughts is a great way to amplify this practice.
I personally love playing a gratitude game on a daily basis. I challenge myself to find as many things that I can be grateful for as I go about my day. It can be as small as enjoying a cup of coffee or finding a good parking space. By taking a moment to appreciate these little things, I find myself more present, calm, and in a better mood.
The more I do this exercise, the more it becomes natural for me to think this way. Now, I automatically go throughout the day looking for good things. Over the years I’ve trained and rewired my brain to default to gratitude mode. This doesn’t mean that I never have a bad day, or that I don’t still get trapped in a fear based mindset. But, having a solid gratitude practice to fall back on helps to shift my energy fast.
How to Cultivate Your Own Gratitude Practice
To get started with your own gratitude practice, use a journal to write down 5-10 things that you are grateful for each day.
These can be as simple as appreciating your comfy bed or that you have running water. What you are writing down isn’t that important. It’s the act of deliberately taking charge of your thoughts, and directing them to seek out the good in life.
The more you do that, the more this process will come naturally for you, and you’ll find yourself going about your day appreciating the moments more and more.
Make Gratitude a Habit
It’s natural to feel resistance towards starting a gratitude practice, since as we’ve discussed our brains are not designed to focus in this manner.
This is why it’s called a gratitude practice. Just like any new skill, you need to practice it. It is no different than any other healthy habit that you might adopt, like exercising. You may not always feel like exercising, but you do it anyway because you know that it will enhance your life experience. Gratitude works the same way.
Gratitude takes commitment and practice, but the results are well worth it. With benefits like changing your neurochemistry, reducing pain and inflammation, and improving immune function and sleep, it’s one of the healthiest things that you can do for yourself. Let this season inspire you to take charge of your own health and happiness with a powerful gratitude practice.