The Power of Practicing Gratitude

By Mary Joye LMHC, LPCC

Did you know gratitude and fear do not simultaneously coexist in your brain very well?

Neither did I several years ago until I went on an experimental journey during the first years of COVID. I read a magazine article about how gratitude can change your life, but it didn’t explain why. I tested the theory and began keeping a daily list of 3 things that made me feel gratitude. Many entries were as simple as “Ability to breathe”. As an asthmatic, the fear of COVID created immense fear and panic. In my early 20s I had respiratory failure, went Code Blue, was revived and put on a ventilator. I spent 4 days in ICU and have lived a lifetime of inhalers and preventative measures and medications. Taking something as simple as breath and applying gratitude to it made me live each day with a more positive attitude.

The attitude of gratitude is not just a platitude. It is life changing.

I’m a licensed mental health counselor in Florida and California and the body/mind connection is a big part of my practice. I help people reframe their negative thinking every day at work. There is such a thing as toxic positivity and this gratitude thing is not that. Sincere gratitude, such as acknowledging you have a roof over your head, or you can buy your children ice cream begets a rewiring of the brain to see the world in a different way. Not through rose colored glasses of denial, but a magnifying glass of gladness.

We have all heard if you look for trouble you will find it. That is a truthful psychological principle of a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s not just woo.

Think about what you think about. Is it negative, complaining or fearful? If it is, you could live in a constant state of agitation and dissatisfaction.

As my simple gratitude list grew daily, I could feel palpable positive transformation. I was looking for things that were going right instead of fearfully scanning for what could go wrong. I noticed changes in my work, opportunities, income, wellbeing and happiness. What could be happening that 3 little words or phrases a day was creating a better life? I had to know.

This is a simplified version of the neuroscience. Gratitude shifts the brain from negative neural pathways and dampens the perceived threat portion of the brain’s limbic system. It soothes fear and reduces stress both mentally and physically. It calms the parasympathetic nervous system and improves vagus nerve reactivity. It increases feel-good chemicals like dopamine and decreases stress hormones such as cortisol.

The vagus nerve reacts to our emotions, but it doesn’t know the difference between positive or negative ones. Gratitude is a powerful positive emotion to enhance wellbeing.

Here’s a scenario I share with skeptical clients about the physiological power of gratitude.

You walk outside your home, it’s raining and you’re late for work….and you have a flat tire!

Do you feel the tension in your body?

Do you feel the aggravation and fear.

Just thinking about it creates stress responses.

Now apply gratitude.

Say, thank goodness this happened when I was home and this didn’t happen when I was careening down the interstate at 70 miles an hour.

Do you feel the tension release?

Do you feel in your body how gratitude affected your entire sense of safety?

This is a cognitive behavioral therapy tool called “reframing” and works by positively process negative events. Gratitude is a simple catalyst to begin changing your perspective. Try it, apply it and notice how a practice of thankfulness improves your life.

Connect With Mary

www.maryjoye.com