A healthy dose of gratitude | Corewell Health

Practicing gratitude involves more than just saying thanks.

Shifting the mind to gratitude can change a person’s outlook on life. Asha Shajahan, MDMD, medical director of community health at Beaumont Grossepoint Hospital at Corewell Health and a physician at Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan, said.

“The practice of listing three things you’re grateful for each day can lead to improved mood and positive thoughts in just three weeks,” she said.

It may even improve your physical health.

“There are many studies that link gratitude to improved physical health through improved sleep quality, lower blood pressure, and increased mood-enhancing endorphins,” said Dr. Shagahan.

Confront negative self-talk

In the face of work stress and other daily life challenges, many people may struggle with negative thoughts.

“Gratitude is a simple exercise in destroying these negative thoughts that affect human well-being,” said Dr. Shagahan.

Anxiety and stress are linked to negative thinking patterns. Worrying, worrying, complaining, and focusing on the negative can amplify anxiety and increase stress.

“When you find yourself going down a spiral of negative thoughts, challenge yourself to find something to be grateful for,” she said.

Being grateful can help break the negative feedback loop often caused by stress.

Having a grateful attitude can have a positive impact on general well-being.

MRI evidence shows that gratitude can activate parts of the brain that affect memory and cognitive function and even reduce inflammation.

Gratitude and positive thoughts can release a chemical called dopamine, otherwise known as the feel-good chemical, in the brain.

For older adults, feelings of gratitude may help improve cognitive function, emotions, and memory.

Dr. Shajahan explained that neuroimaging studies have shown that gratitude activates the hippocampus and amygdala, parts of the brain that regulate emotion and memory.

“These areas of the brain are required for higher cognitive functions, so exercising these brain muscles is a great way to keep the brain young,” she said.

Practice gratitude

Expressing gratitude can include writing thank you notes or writing thank you letters, whether delivered or not.

The practice calls for focusing more on the good than the bad, recognizing the positives in others, and counting the blessings. It can even include the act of smiling, whether we feel happy or not.

“Take time to appreciate gratitude in others as well as in yourself,” said Dr. Shagahan. “Admit to yourself what you do well. Often we can forget to think about what is good about ourselves.”

One of the most effective ways to express gratitude: keep a gratitude journal.

“Writing can make those good things in our lives more tangible,” she said. “A gratitude journal can create accountability for pausing in the present day to reflect and focus on positive things.”

Looking for some great gratitude journal prompts? Dr. Shajahan made the following suggestions:

• What made you laugh uncontrollably in the last month?
• Name a friend you appreciate who lives far away.
• What simple act of kindness did you witness a stranger do today?
• What are some things in nature that you are grateful for?
• Think of three things that happened today that you enjoyed or are grateful for.
• Learn about something your body did today that you’re grateful for.
• Write a letter to someone in your life who has had a positive influence on you. (There are benefits even if you don’t send the letter.)
• Describe something you look forward to.
• Write about the last time you laughed deeply or felt deep joy, excitement, or wonder.
• Who is the person who has done something to make your life easier recently, and how can you thank them?
• What are you grateful for learning recently?
• What skills, characteristics or abilities do you have that you are most grateful for?
• What is something that your senses allow you to experience that you are grateful for? For example, listening to your favorite song, the smell of freshly cut grass, and the feel of clean sheets. Imagine enjoying this experience.
• Describe something about your outside world—in nature, your city, etc.—that you’re grateful for?