Gratitude is the antidote to anxiety and depression. The world is full of negativity-or so it would appear. If you turn on the news, read the paper or read the news online, it seems as if everything is negative. It seems like it would be easy to feel anxiety or despair if you really take all of this in. This may lead you to wonder what the heck is going on with the world. What might happen if you didn’t look at the news or social media for a week? Might the world look a little different? Everything seems so negative, which is what sells newspapers and gets TV ratings. That’s kind of crazy if you think about it.

Realistically every day wonderful things happen, but these events don’t sell papers. Many acts of kindness go on daily. If you think about all the positive things in your life, everything might look differently. As a matter of fact, practicing gratitude has been to shown to decrease anxiety and depression. Thus it is a simple way to improve your mood.

How might life be different if you spend as much time on gratitude as you do on worry or negative thinking? What might it be like if every time you had a negative thought, you had to think of a blessing or something going well in your life? Of course it would be a difficult thing to do and might not feel normal, but if you keep doing it, it will become much easier.

How to practice gratitude

Everyone is different and perhaps what I am grateful for is not the same for you. There are many things to be grateful for, for instance-nature. Do you love the ocean, beach, forest, meadow, or desert? Typically something in nature moves us. Think about what that is for you.

You can simply start your practice by writing down, “I am grateful for”… and see what comes up. Perhaps it will roll right off your tongue, or perhaps you will need to think for a little bit. Then take a moment and really think about what you wrote. Sit with it even more and let the feelings that go with it take over.

What are you grateful for?

What is good in your life? Think about the special relationships you have-partner, family, and friends. Even with all the negative events and social discourse occurring, these relationships stay steady.

Sometimes bad things happen to us or we lose people we love. Of course we need to grieve these losses, yet usually there is a silver lining. People come together; other relationships may re-establish or get closer. We look at how much the people we have left mean to us. Perhaps we vow to spend more time together.

Many people think-once this event happens or once I get this object, I will be happy. Realistically if you are looking for some object or event to make you happy, you will never be happy. Happiness comes from within and one way to get that is to practice gratitude.

Below are some reasons to be thankful.

Relationships

My guess is that there are some wonderful people in your life. Think about one of these people and what this person means to you. Have they always been there for you? Do they love you unconditionally? Have they gone out of their way for you? What might it mean if you let them know how you feel about them? My guess is that it would make their day. And it might even bring you closer together.

Random acts of kindness

People do these for us all the time. Take notice. Did someone hold the door open for you, smile at you, let you cut in traffic? Not only does it feel good when other people do these things for us, but it also makes us feel good when we do them for others. Funny how that works.

Positive memories from childhood

We all have some favorite childhood memories. What were those for you? Did you go someplace special over the summer? Did someone read to you? Was there a grandparent who doted on you or baked cookies with you? Did you have a neighborhood best friend who you spent hours with?

Write a thank you note

Writing a thank you note is a lost art. It takes time to write one. But in doing so we are practicing gratitude, which makes us feel good. That doesn’t even take into account how it will make the other person feel. Receiving a thank you note feels good; as someone had to take the time to do so and something we did made the other person happy. It’s a win-win.

Pray

Perhaps you already do this. Maybe you regularly say or think about things that you are thankful for. If not, it’s easy to do.

Meditation

Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Focus on your breathing. Then think about what you are grateful for. Where do you feel this sensation in your body? Is there a warmth that goes with it? Just sit with it and meditate on that thought and feeling for 5-10 minutes. This may be a great way to start or end your day.

Benefits of gratitude

According to researchers at Harvard University, those who wrote about things they were grateful for were happier and more positive about their lives. Another interesting side effect was that these people also exercised more and had fewer visits to the doctor.

There are many other scientific benefits of gratitude according to the Greater Good Science Center that include more life satisfaction, less materialism, improved physical health, better sleep, less inflammation, and more resiliency. It also prevents us from ruminating about unpleasant things. Why not try it and see how it transforms you?

If you struggle with anxiety or depression, give me a call and we can find a way to improve your mood.

Take care,

Debbie