Author: Isabella Adams, MSW
Good mental health isn’t something we “arrive” at – it’s something we nurture over time. In this series, we’ll explore ways to protect your well-being, strengthen your resilience, and create space for the things that truly matter.
Practicing gratitude daily can have great benefits on overall well-being, enhancing one’s physical and mental health. Studies have shown that taking the time to identify the things you are thankful for can reduce depression and anxiety, relieve stress, and improve your sleep. It helps with feelings of worry and excessive negative thinking and is a positive coping skill for anxiety and depression. Practicing gratitude also helps with heart health: research has shown that engaging in gratitude can lower diastolic blood pressure and help to synchronize your breathing and your heartbeat.
Ways to practice gratitude every day:
- Keep a journal to document the good in your life
- Reflect on the hard times that you’ve survived and surpassed
- Share your gratitude with others
- Use your senses: Reflect on and dedicate time to sights, scents, sounds, tastes, and sensations that bring you happiness
- Take the time to pause and be present in the moment around you
Gratitude has limitations in its ability to assist us. They do not erase painful experiences, and painful emotions must be felt and processed in order to move through them. Denying painful experiences can lead to increased depression and anxiety, allowing for detrimental effects on overall well-being. Life inherently comes with good and bad times, and each deserves your attention.
National Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org, to connect with a counselor. Counselors are available 24/7/365, and all communication is free and confidential.
References
https://www.mindful.org/an-introduction-to-mindful-gratitude/#Practice
https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/health-benefits-gratitude
