I’ll start our healing practices journey with one that is so simple yet has such profound positive effects on mental health. Gratitude.
Get this...studies suggest that gratitude can enhance emotional intelligence, reduce depression and anxiety, improve our sleep and mood, enhance our immunity, counteract suicidal thoughts, and boost self-esteem and compassion toward others (see articles listed at the end of this post for reference on these studies). This is incredible.
Here are some simple tips for making gratitude a habit:
-Practice gratitude with a habit you are already doing. Make it Obvious example: Name off things you are grateful for while you brush your teeth, on your commute to work, during your exercise routine, while you shower, etc.
-Use a hand tally counter and select a set number you want to reach for expressing gratitude. Make it Satisfying example: I keep my tally counter on my nightstand and aim to identify 20 things I am grateful for before bed each night (shout out to James Henson, one of the best, for this idea).
-Start a gratitude journal and write 10 things you are grateful for each day. Make it Obvious example: I put my journal on my pillow each morning so that it reminds me to journal each night before bed.
-Set a timer for two minutes, and during this time you only focus on expressing gratitude (ie. Make it Easy)
-Go on a gratitude walk. Make it Attractive example: I start a new routine of going on a brief walk around the block on my lunch break and aim to only think about the things I am grateful for on this walk.
When you start this practice no expression of gratitude is too big, and no expression is too small...seriously.
-You notice a tiny bug crawling across your path during your gratitude walk? Try: “Thank you for this tiny bug and the role it plays in the circle of life.”
-You see the moon in the sky on your commute to work? Try: “Thank you for the moon being the perfect distance from the earth and for the role it plays in creating tides.”
-You like the taste of your toothpaste as you brush your teeth and practice gratitude? Try: "Thank you for how minty this toothpaste is and how clean my mouth feels right now."
Over time you will find that even unpleasant experiences you are facing are opportunities for gratitude.
-You lost your job? “Thank you for the opportunity to spend more time with the kids and explore new interests while I look for a new one.”
-The weather sucks? “Thank you for the reminder that seasons change, nothing is forever, and for forcing me to slow down.
-You burnt dinner? “Thank you for this memory of crispy lasagna that I can laugh at later.”
If this all feels really hard, you’re not alone and you might benefit from therapy where you can be completely honest about how impossible life feels right now. In therapy you will be able to process through what is hard and learn how to spot what these difficult moments are trying to teach us.
Gratitude isn’t about being a “Pollyanna”, nor is it about sticking your head in the sand and pretending like hard things aren’t happening. Gratitude is about learning to sit with what is in front of you, accepting it for what it is, and finding the opportunities and lessons within it.
For more detailed information on the studies conducted on benefits of practicing gratitude, you can explore articles from reputable sources such as Forbes Health, Mayo Clinic Health System, and UCLA Health.