Expressing gratitude for things in your life may feel awkward (and downright cringy) at first, but what if I told you that the simple act of practicing gratitude every day can literally change how your brain functions.
Despite how it may feel sometimes, we actually have the power to change how we think, feel, and react.
The science behind gratitude
We’re going to get super into the science for a moment, because I think it’s important to understand what your brain is actually doing when you think about things in your life that you are grateful for. (Shoutout to this article for the outline of all the nitty gritty details.)
Gratitude creates and strengthens neural pathways in your brain
Neural pathways are essentially the train tracks of your mind. They connect your brain and your body and control things like your reflexes and your thoughts. These pathways are formed with a combination of your genetics and your life experiences.
When you express gratitude, it actually activates certain parts of your brain and improves their function. Specifically:
- The hippocampus, which processes memories and connects emotions to memories.
- The amygdala, which regulates emotion, especially fear, and plays a key role in the fight-or-flight response.
- The prefrontal cortex, which handles complex cognitive functions like decision-making, memory, and personality.
So, simply by thinking about things you’re grateful for, you’re setting your brain up for success to access and express positive emotions in the future.
Gratitude increases production of serotonin and dopamine
These are the “feel good” chemicals that are released when your brain’s reward system is activated. Practicing gratitude does just that. The best part? When you get a sudden surge of dopamine, you brain recognizes that and wants more. So you’re more likely to continue practicing gratitude.
Gratitude helps manage your stress response
Negative thoughts trigger the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. When you have too much cortisol coursing through your body, it can have negative impacts on your sleep, immune system, metabolism, and more.
Practicing gratitude calms the nervous system to help you relax and find balance during stressful times in your life.
Gratitude changes how you see the world
Naturally, your brain focuses on the negative, (To be fair, this was useful in the caveman days, but can be a little much in today’s world.) but when you continually focus on the positive things in your life, it becomes more and more automatic.
With continued practice, gratitude rewires your cognitive processes, altering your thinking, learning, memory, perception, and attention. Your entire perspective changes and you are more likely to focus on the positive aspects of your life without giving it a second thought.
Practicing gratitude
Sounds like a dream, right? But you might be wondering how to get started. Personally, I began practicing gratitude with a daily gratitude journal (specifically this one on Amazon).
At first, the things I was grateful for were very broad, but as I practiced more and more, I was able to tap into very specific parts of my life that I probably wouldn’t have given much thought to on my own.
On days that I feel like filling out the journal, I write down one thing I am grateful for in my daily planner. Sometimes that’s simply the sun shining through the window and other times it can be something big happening in my life.
Some other ways to practice gratitude can include:
- Mindful reflection throughout the day. When something positive happens in your everyday life, pause and take a moment to just appreciate it.
- End of the day recap. At the end of the day, open your phone and type out three things you are grateful for that happened during the day.
- Gratitude reminders. Set a reminder in your phone to prompt you to think of one thing you are grateful for in that current moment.
- Meditation. Use a guided meditation that focuses on gratitude. (Personally, I love the Balance app!)
If you really want to go big and bold (and maybe even provide a little shock to your system) commit to a “no complaining” time period, where you do not complain about anything for an entire week. Honestly, this type of shock has worked for me in the past with other things, so I might give it a try!
Small changes lead to big results
I get that all of this can seem overwhelming. So much so, that you might think “F it” and not try it at all, but I promise that even the smallest changes can reap positive benefits.
What seems the most accessible may be different for everyone. For one person, one thing you are grateful for per day may seem reasonable, but for another, the every day action may seem like a little much. In that case, maybe you do an end of the week recap and list just a few things you are grateful for that happened that week.
As long as there is some kind of action, you are making progress. Make a promise to yourself to start today.
And I’ll help… what is one thing you are grateful for right now, in this very moment?
For me, it’s a quiet, calm house. I feel totally at peace right now.
Keep Going, Keep Growing 