Thanksgiving is almost here, and with it comes thoughts of gratitude. Gratitude can be so very powerful. It can even change your life. My “passion project” of health and wellness coaching with women allows me to collaborate with ladies on maximizing their health and wellness. Practicing gratitude is one strategy that some of my coaching clients incorporate into their wellness plans. 

In positive psychology, gratitude is the human way of acknowledging the good things in life. Psychologists have defined gratitude as a positive emotional response that we perceive when giving or receiving a benefit from someone (Emmons & McCullough, 2004).

Benefits of Practicing Gratitude

Practicing gratitude is not just something that sounds good; there is research to back up its benefits (Koehler, 2023). Gratitude has been studied extensively in positive psychology, and researchers have explored its effects on mental and physical health, relationships, and overall well-being over several decades.  Research has found that practicing gratitude may result in (Koehler, 2023):

  1. Improved Mental Health:  Gratitude is consistently linked to higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction. People who practice gratitude regularly often report feeling happier and more optimistic and may have a buffer against developing depression and anxiety.
  2. Enhanced Relationships: Expressing gratitude can improve relationships. When one shows appreciation for others, it fosters trust and strengthens connections and bonds with them. It can also encourage reciprocal acts of kindness and generosity through a feedback loop, which might strengthen relationships and contribute to social support, an essential component of mental health and wellness.
  3. Increased Resilience: Gratitude can impact cognitive processes and help one cope with difficult situations. Focusing on the positives can build resilience and bounce back more quickly from setbacks and disappointments. It can also reduce stress and improve your ability to handle adversity.
  4. Greater Sense of Purpose: Practicing gratitude can help one understand what’s truly important in life. It can shift one’s focus from material possessions to experiences, relationships, and personal growth.

In addition to the mental and psychological benefits, research has found that it may also have physical benefits such as better sleep quality, lower depression risks, favorable markers of cardiovascular health, and possibly extending lives (Salomon, 2024).

What Can One Do to Cultivate Gratitude?

What can someone do to make gratitude part of their routine? Harvard Medical Center (2021) offers some great suggestions. One simple way is to keep a gratitude journal, writing what one is thankful for daily.   A simple “thank you” given to others is another easy way to foster gratitude, either through a letter or mentally. Prayer is one way to cultivate gratitude; meditation is another strategy for focusing on what one is grateful for and what matters. Counting one’s blessings each week, reflecting on what went well, and writing it down is another strategy. Strategies I have used include creating a gratitude “jar” where I write down things I am grateful for on paper strips and place them into the jar to be pulled out when a little dose of gratitude or a reminder is needed. Random acts of kindness of any variety can be fun and may cultivate gratitude. Doing something nice for someone and expecting nothing in return. There are so many ways to cultivate gratitude! 

Questions to Evoke Gratitude

If you are struggling to get in the gratitude zone, here are some questions to ask yourself that might change your frame of mind and evoke gratitude (Salomon, 2024):

What happened today that was good?

What am I taking for granted that I can be thankful for?

Which people in my life am I grateful for?

What is the last book I read or movie, show, or social media clip I saw that I really appreciated, and why?

What am I most looking forward to this week, month, and year, and why?

What is the kindest thing someone has said or done lately?

Here’s to a Thanksgiving and a season of gratitude for all who wish to find it. It’s there for the taking!

“The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.” – Norman Vincent Peale, Clergyman, and Author

Sources:

Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2004). The psychology of gratitude (Series in affective science). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Harvard Medical School (2021). Giving thanks can make you happier.

Harvard Health. Accessed 11/15/24, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier

Koehler, J. (2023). Cultivating a gratitude habit for improved well-being. Harvard Health.

Accessed 11/25/24, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beyond-school-walls/202304/cultivating-a-gratitude-habit-for-improved-well-being

Saloman, M. (2024). Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness — and may even lengthen lives. Harvard Health. Accessed 11/15/2024, from

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gratitude-enhances-health-brings-happiness-and-may-even-lengthen-lives-202409113071