Gratitude: Developing a lifestyle of giving thanks

By Educator: Dustin Speaks

With Thanksgiving around the corner, we have a unique opportunity to consider the place of gratitude in our lives. If you were to walk through your local mall and overhear the conversations of people in cafes and stores, would an attitude of thanksgiving ring through the air or one of grumbling, frustration and anxiety? Are our lives marked by a lifestyle of gratitude or a lifestyle of complaint? How can we begin to cultivate a heart and mind filled with gratitude on a daily basis?

Gratitude, at its core, is an acknowledgement that every breath, every opportunity and every blessing in our lives is truly an undeserved gift. It’s a recognition that we are a small part of a much larger world and we should be thankful for every good thing that is present in our lives, even when those good things might feel hidden and difficult to find.

During seasons of difficulty, when life can feel overwhelming, we have a tendency to focus on what we lack instead of what we have. We focus on how tired we are, how money is low, how frustrating other people can be. We fail to pause and acknowledge the goodness in our lives. We can forget to recognize the gift of the clothes we are wearing, a warm building when it’s cold outside, the food we have at each meal and the positive people we have around us.

Choosing to live a life of gratitude isn’t a matter of ignoring life’s hardships or pretending that everything is going well. Instead, it is establishing a pattern of viewing those challenges through a lens of hope and recognizing that even in the most difficult situations there is goodness to be found and a positive future that we can pursue.

Let’s look at a few benefits of pursuing a lifestyle of gratitude:

1. Reduced Stress and Anxiety - Studies have shown that creating intentional patterns of gratitude in our lives can lower cortisol (a stress hormone) levels and calm the alarm system in our brains. In fact, clinical studies have found that individuals engaged in daily habits of gratitude experienced nearly a 6% increase in overall mental health and an 8% decrease in symptoms of anxiety.

2. Protection Against Depression - Clinical studies have shown an overall drop of 7% in depression scores for those who began engaging in regular habits of expressing appreciation and gratitude.

3. Improved Sleep - It has been found that spending time before bed reflecting upon and writing down the blessings from the day can lead to a calmer nervous system and better sleep quality.

So, if we are convinced that creating a lifestyle of gratitude can have significant positive impacts in our lives, what can we do to intentionally establish new patterns of thanksgiving? Here are three simple practices:

1. Start with Gratitude - Before picking up your phone or checking your email each morning, take time to reflect and identify three specific gifts in your life. Write them down and give thanks that they are present in your life.

2. Change “Have To’s” to “Get To’s” - When we frame the various tasks and responsibilities in our lives as things we “have to do”, our stress levels increase and our dissatisfaction with life grows as well. However, when we change the lens and begin to view these various responsibilities as opportunities, our joy in those same tasks can grow. Instead of “I HAVE TO make dinner tonight”... “I GET TO provide food for my family”. Instead of “I HAVE TO study for tomorrow’s test”... “I GET TO learn and prepare for my future.” Finding the opportunity in each of life’s tasks can help us move from HAVE TO’s to GET TO’s and increase our overall satisfaction in life.

3. Speak Words of Appreciation and Thanksgiving - Make it a habit and goal to offer specific, heartfelt words of encouragement and appreciation to those around you each day. Intentionally find positive things to affirm in your families, coworkers and friends. Develop a habit of using words to build others up and bring positive energy into every room you are in.

As you can see, embracing a lifestyle of thanksgiving isn’t just for the month of November each year, but it is a decision that can help increase the quality of your life and have a positive impact on the people around you. Gratitude isn’t an accidental or occasional pattern we fall into, but an intentional decision to establish habits and make choices that lead us to become the types of people that we want to be. 

How will you embrace gratitude this year and build patterns of thanksgiving into your day to day life?

References:

1. Reduced Stress, Physical Symptoms, and Improved Sleep

"Participants who engaged in daily or weekly gratitude interventions reported significantly fewer physical complaints, better sleep, and higher life satisfaction."

Emmons, Robert A., and Michael E. McCullough. "Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 84, no. 2,2003, pp. 377–89. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.84.2.377

2. Decrease in Anxiety Symptoms and Mental Health Improvements

"In clinical meta-analyses evaluating gratitude interventions, participants experienced statistically significant improvements in overall mental health and reduced anxiety symptoms."

Diniz, Geyze, et al. "The Effects of Gratitude Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." einstein (São Paulo), vol. 21, 2023. https://journal.einstein.br/article/the-effects-of-gratitude-interventions-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/

3. Protection Against Depression

"A comprehensive meta-analysis evaluating gratitude interventions revealed significant drops in depression scores among participants who regularly recorded or expressed appreciation."

Diniz, Geyze, et al. "The Effects of Gratitude Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." einstein (São Paulo), vol. 21, 2023. https://journal.einstein.br/article/the-effects-of-gratitude-interventions-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/