The Benefits of Gratitude and How to Improve Your Practice

Research has found that practicing gratitude can have not just a positive mental impact on us, but can also result in lower stress, reduced pain, and improved immune systems.

Let's take five minutes to see this week in a new light. By Wendy Rose Gould & Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief Top of Mind Gratitude: The Benefits + How to Improve Your Practice    "Be thankful for what you have" is a common mantra, but being deliberate in this ritual can be a bit of a struggle. We're wired to focus on the negative, and we often take both small and big things for granted as they become part of our status quo.   Research has found that practicing gratitude can have not just a positive mental impact on us, but can also result in lower stress, reduced pain, and improved immune systems.   Experiencing gratitude activates neurotransmitters like dopamine, which we associate with pleasure, and serotonin, which regulates our mood. It also causes the brain to release oxytocin." — AMY E. KELLER, PSY.D   How to Practice Gratitude More Often Gratitude is a habit that we must ingrain in ourselves. It can take time and there may be setbacks along the way, but try to be as consistent as possible. The more you practice, the bigger that muscle will become and the more of a habit thankfulness will become. Keep a Gratitude Journal: Keep a notebook and pen on your nightstand and make gratitude the first and/or last thing you do for the day. A simple line about something you're thankful for is all you need to write down. You can also use a designated gratitude journal. Speak Your Gratitude: You can do this in several ways. For example, think of someone in your life you're grateful for and tell them how you feel. Or throughout the day, let people know that you appreciate them or the way they've helped make your day brighter. This can also help you feel more connected to others. Use Visual Cues: Be more mindful of the items around you and quietly practice gratitude. Maybe it's the house over your head, your pets, your children, the food on your table, or the trees and flowers.   On the Bright Side Ways to Stay Positive This Week Ways to Nurture Your Mind and Body  This week, take two minutes every morning to acknowledge the things or people in your life that make you happy. You can jot these gratitudes on paper or simply speak them out loud. Take note of how this simple practice impacts your mood and or the course of your day. If you're not a fan of the gratitude journal, perhaps a gratitude jar will be more of your thing. You can make your own by keeping a stack of small notecards and a pen next to a large mason jar, or you can buy one pre-made. It serves as a visual reminder to practice thanks and makes it easy to do so in the moment. Struggling to find the positive to begin with? Cyndie Spiegel's A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspiration, Wisdom, and Courage features one positivity prompt per day.   This Week on The Verywell Mind Podcast   On tomorrow's episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast, I talk to journalist, speaker, and best selling author Celeste Headlee about how to have better conversations.   A co-host of PBS's weekly series "Retro Report," Celeste reveals how even the most awkward among us can learn to become great conversationalists, and much more.     Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts / RSS Read These Next How Cultivating Gratitude Can Help You Relieve Stress READ NOW 4 Tips for Gratitude Journaling READ NOW 5 Things Science Says Will Make You Happier READ NOW Spread the Light Share the newsletter with someone you know to make their day a little brighter. SHARE We're open to suggestions! If you have any feedback about this newsletter, let us know at feedback@verywell.com.     You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Healthy Mind newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. If someone forwarded you this email, you can subscribe here!   A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005   © 2021 Verywellmind.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy