Practical tips to live thankfully every day
November brings autumn leaves, delicious meals, and an end to daylight savings – but the month is also synonymous with gratitude! Your attitude and expression of thankfulness has practical benefits for mental health, not only Thanksgiving Day, but any time. In fact, did you know that practicing gratitude daily can boost your mental fitness and change your perspective after only a few weeks?
These are five positive impacts gratitude has on your mental and physical health.
1- Reversing bad habits
Worrying, negative thoughts, and complaining are examples of poor mental habits that can spiral into anxiety and depression. Ashley J. Smith, PhD, recommends using gratitude as a competing response against such habits:
When you find yourself getting wrapped up in those negative thoughts or starting down a spiral, challenge your mind to find something in that moment to be grateful for. In doing so, you’re combating the negative content of your thoughts AND bringing your mind into the present.
From a practical standpoint, you could add guided journaling to physically break out of the cycle of negative thinking. Make these habits part of your routine, especially when you feel overwhelmed.
2 – Stress relief
Mental fitness can directly affect your physical health. Whenever you are stressed, your body enters into a fight or flight response where your heart is racing, muscles tense up, and adrenaline kicks in. Practicing gratitude can move your nervous system into a state of rest and relaxation where your breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure are lowered (Positive Psychology).
3 – Improves your resilience
When faced with challenges, having a positive outlook helps you appreciate the good in life despite the circumstances (Bournewood). Dr. Smith points out that depression and anxiety aren’t due to you being ungrateful – but rather that gratitude is a tool to help you manage mental health when you experience such thoughts. For instance, you may be nervous about a life change while still being thankful for support from family and friends. Acknowledging the situation through the lens of thankfulness can provide you with a long-term perspective.
4 – Increases self-esteem
Have you recently taken time to recognize your personal accomplishments and self-worth? Gratitude can help us reframe our thinking, focusing on what is going well and the resources we have. Moreover, acknowledging your personal strengths will contribute to a more balanced self-image. Bring more joy and confidence into your life by complimenting yourself with positive words like loyal, kind, and disciplined – or even standing in front of a mirror and saying something you appreciate about yourself, e.g. “I am thankful that I keep the meetings and commitments I set.” You can even repeat these affirmations while using the mindful breathing technique we shared.
5 – Better sleep
Besides the turkey (or tofurkey!) you’ll be having with family and friends, expressing gratitude and simple acts of kindness can lead to more restful sleep. Thankfulness activates your hypothalamus, which regulates healthy sleep (Zahn et al., 2009). Just like good sleep hygiene, better regulation in turn promotes deeper rest and more energetic mornings.
How do you practice gratitude?
According to Dr. Robert Emmons, gratitude consists of two central components: affirming the good things we’ve received, and recognizing the role others have played in the good aspects of our lives (Mindful.org). With this in mind, here are a few tips to building a habit of thankfulness.
Visual reminders – Forgetfulness and lack of awareness are some of the biggest hindrances to practicing gratitude on a consistent basis. You can use small cues like sticky notes to remind yourself to think positively, or display a photo of you and your best friend as a good memory.
Express your gratitude for others – Just as Dr. Paul White shares in his book The 5 Languages of Appreciation, people feel seen and loved when you acknowledge them through words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. This strengthens your relationships and also develops the habit of thanking people routinely.
Write a thank you note – A handwritten card still goes a long way in today’s digital age! It shows you put effort into picking a card and envelope, sending it in the mail, or finding another time to give it to the recipient. Everyone enjoys being on the receiving end of a thank you!
Whether your family goes around the table during Thanksgiving dinner and shares one thing they’re grateful for – or you try one of the suggestions above, there are many ways to integrate thankfulness into your life. What is one method that you have tried and found success with? Do you have a story to share about how gratitude impacted your way of thinking? Connect with Savor Lining on LinkedIn and let’s continue the conversation!