On Thanksgiving Day, people often share and show their appreciation. However, if we try to focus on gratitude daily instead of annually, its various benefits on mental and physical health can be reaped year-round.

      One of the many positive impacts of gratitude on mental health is the role it plays in dealing with stress. With AP classes, college applications, tests, and figuring out post-high school plans, stress levels can be overwhelming for students. According to Premium Health, when someone is experiencing stress, the presence of the cortisol hormone increases in their body. This rise in cortisol levels can contribute to a variety of negative physical health effects, such as headaches and heart issues. Practicing gratitude, however, can actually help to decrease cortisol levels and relax the body.

      According to an article written by UCLA Health, “Taking a moment to be thankful causes physiological changes in your body that initiate the parasympathetic nervous system — the part of your nervous system that helps you rest and digest. Gratitude and the response it causes help bring down your blood pressure, heart rate and breathing to help with overall relaxation.” This provides an inverse to the mental and physical overstimulation that go hand in hand with stress.

      Gratitude can also help to lessen anxiety – which, while similar to stress, tends to be more chronic or long-term. Anxious people tend to worry about past or future circumstances and often have pessimistic and negative thoughts, but the practice of gratitude instills the opposite. “Gratitude can be a coping tool for anxiety,” UCLA Health explains. “Regularly practicing gratitude combats negative thinking patterns by keeping thoughts focused on the present.” By consistently incorporating gratitude into one’s daily routine, one can become more mindful and aware of the here and now. This can lead to a decreased amount of anxiety, or – at the very least – a stronger set of tools to manage it.

      Similar to how it helps alleviate anxiety, gratitude has proven beneficial in dealing with other mental health struggles. In her article with the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Ashley Smith, PhD, explains the link between anxiety and depression disorders, which both stem from negative thoughts: “These [negative thinking] patterns include both what we think and how we think,” Smith writes. “In other words, both the content and the process of thinking impact anxiety and depression.” 

      Smith explains that being present in the moment can provide a contrast to the loss of interest and sadness associated with depression. “…psychological research shows that the more present we are, the happier we tend to be, even when the present moment isn’t pleasant or enjoyable,” she states. Gratitude generally focuses on being mindful and in the moment. When we express our appreciation for what we have right now, not what we had or what we want, we can change our thought patterns and thus shift our focus to the positive things in our lives. 

      Not only does gratitude help cope with depression, but it actually increases one’s happiness and satisfaction with their life. “When gratitude is expressed and/or received, the brain releases dopamine and serotonin, two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions,” Princeton Health explains. “Dopamine and serotonin contribute to feelings of pleasure, happiness, and overall well-being.” Essentially, gratitude triggers a reaction in our brains that increases our overall contentment and joy.

      Practicing gratitude can also improve physical health. UCLA Health reveals that people who practice gratitude on a regular basis generally lead more positive lives with healthy and consistent lifestyle habits. These habits help contribute to maintaining physical well-being. 

      Robert A. Emmons, PhD, is a professor at UC Davis and has done extensive research in psychology. Emmons says that according to trials and studies, gratitude “…can lower blood pressure and improve immune function … grateful people engage in more exercise, have better dietary behaviors, are less likely to smoke and abuse alcohol, and have higher rates of medication adherence.” Appreciative people are more likely to take good care of their bodies and support their physical well-being. 

      In addition, gratitude can even increase the number of hours one sleeps each night, as well as the quality of that sleep. As mentioned earlier, decreased anxiety and depression are products of gratitude. When one is overwhelmed or worried, their ability to fall asleep is disturbed by the negativity running through their heads. Gratitude can reverse this effect. 

       “…when you cultivate gratitude throughout the day, you’re more likely to have positive thoughts as you’re drifting off to sleep,” explains Linda Wasmer Andrews with Psychology Today.“Instead of obsessing over bills, you’re thinking of the new client you just landed.” UC Davis Health explains that getting enough sleep can also lead to a variety of other health benefits, like regulated blood pressure, increased growth,  improved heart health, a more resistant immune system, and even an extended attention span. 

      Now, however, the question is this: how can we apply all this information to our own lives? The aforementioned Dr. Emmons notes that introducing the practice of gratitude to your daily routine is actually relatively simple. “Setting aside time on a daily basis to recall moments of gratitude associated with ordinary events, your personal attributes, or valued people in your life gives you the potential to interweave a sustainable life theme of gratefulness,” he suggests. Little by little, engaging in gratitude each day will build a strong habit, which can in turn become a core value and constant feature of your life. 

      One such strategy one can use to practice gratitude is the Notice-Think-Feel-Do process, explained by Andrea Hussong. It’s simple: first, recognize something or someone in your life that you appreciate. Then take time to think about what you appreciate about this gesture, person, or thing, and why you feel that way. Next, allow yourself to take in all of the joy and positivity associated with this thing or person. Finally, actively show or express your gratitude. 

      Smith has another strategy for the practice of gratitude, this one called Habit Reversal Training (HRT). “A key component of HRT is the use of a competing response, which is an action that is incompatible with the habit you are trying to break,” she explains. “Consistently using a competing response trains your body to replace the undesired habit with the new one.” When you find yourself stuck thinking negatively, introduce a competing response: saying something you are grateful for. Overall, this will increase the time you spend practicing gratitude and decrease the amount of time you spend in negative thought loops. 

      Finally, Mindful writes about the importance of journaling to practice gratitude. Writing is a form of art and expression that often increases our awareness of the world around us. By journaling and recording what we are grateful for, we can reflect upon and fully appreciate all of the good things in our lives.

      Gratitude is an action, not simply a thought. Whatever method of practicing gratitude you choose to try, I hope you are able to see benefits in your life. It only takes a few minutes each day to eventually produce large-scale and impactful results, so give it a shot!

      THANKS for reading!