Practicing Daily Gratitude Boosts Happiness
For those of you who have been following along, I completed a meditation challenge to kick off 2021. I can begin this post on gratitude by saying I am so grateful to have done the challenge and to have had so many friends and family join me. If you’re new here or missed the challenge, check out the full 4-week list here!
During the challenge, I sprinkled a few gratitude meditations into my practice. Each time, I thought about my gratitude journal gathering dust on my nightstand. I’ve always loved the idea of the practice but, just like meditation, fizzled out after the initial novelty of it wore off. More on how to avoid that novelty extinction at the end of this post.
Being Mindful of Your Mindset
Along with the nagging feeling that I was neglecting an important practice, the meditation challenge did something big for me in particular. It helped me to be more aware of the patterns of my thoughts and the general state of my mood and mindset. Working an emotionally heavy job… during a global pandemic… has really forced me to flex some mental muscles at times to search for positivity. I’m sure you can relate! So, after my challenge, I sought out ways to train my brain to see the positives more consistently. Re-enter: my gratitude journal.
I’ve bought into the idea of gratitude lists and journals for a while now, but I can admit, I never looked for any scientific or anecdotal rationale for using them. This time around, I wanted to know more in hopes that it would help increase my consistency with the practice. I’ve typically played with the practice because it felt like a good thing to do. So now I wanted to know…
Can a Consistent Practice Make You Happier?
YES! There are several super cool studies that have found significant increases in measures of happiness after completing gratitude practices. One study from American Psychologist compared 5 “positive psychology” practices and 1 placebo practice. In one of the practices, participants were guided to write down 3 good things that happened in their days, and the causes of those good things. They did this consistently each night for one week. Ultimately, this intervention was found to increase reported levels of happiness and decrease depressive symptoms steadily for as long as 6 months after the study.
Another intervention in the study required participants to write and deliver a letter expressing gratitude to someone they had not yet thanked for a kindness. This intervention demonstrated the largest positive change in the whole study. The positive results were significant for 1 month after the study. However, participants returned to their baseline levels of happiness or depression by 3 months post-letter writing.
Both of these interventions were done within a 1-week period of time. Of course, there were some participants who continued the exercises after the 1-week period. The researchers found that those who adhered to their exercises past the required week experienced the greatest happiness levels at the follow-up intervals.
Gratitude's Relationship with Negative Self-Expression
Oh, and get this! Another study out of UC Berkley gathered participants from a group of college students who were seeking counseling services for anxiety and/or depression. Participants were assigned to 1 of 3 intervention groups: 1) write a letter of gratitude to a different person each week, 2) write down detailed feelings about a negative experience, or 3) no writing activity. Those that wrote gratitude letters had significantly better mental health outcomes 1 month and 3 months later compared to the other groups. BUT, the coolest part (in my opinion) was what the researchers noticed in the participants’ writing during the experiment. They found a link between better mental health outcomes and the lack of negative emotion words in their writing, as opposed to the presence of more positive emotion words.
Being consciously grateful takes your focus away from the negative happenings of life, and rather, bathes your mind in positive emotions and perspectives. This is why I’ve noticed the combination of meditation followed by gratitude journaling is so powerful in my own life. First, you bring non-judging awareness to your thoughts and current experiences of life. Meditation helps you to be present to all that’s coming up for you. Then, you use gratitude practices to focus your energy on what you can feel appreciation for. There isn’t a lot of room for negative talk when you’re filling your mental space with feelings of connectedness, peace, contentment, and admiration.
How Could Gratitude Influence Happiness?
Hold up now. Just try for a second to define “happiness.”
It’s not easy, right?
That’s why I love this take on happiness by Martin Seligman, Director of the Penn Positive Psychology Center. He suggests there are “3 happy lives”:
- The pleasant life: having a life of positive emotion and pleasure
- The good life: using your personal strengths to support your virtues and goals
- The meaningful life: using your personal strengths to contribute to something bigger than you are
So how can gratitude influence these levels of happiness?
- A pleasant life with gratitude: Appreciating aspects of your own life and experiences can make you more aware of the positives and thus bring you pleasure.
- A good life with gratitude: Practicing gratitude can bring awareness to your personal strengths. You can then harness these strengths to achieve your long-term goals.
- A meaningful life with gratitude: Being grateful for what’s happening in your own life can allow you to recognize your privilege. You may become more aware of your capability to influence life beyond your personal circle.
Where Do I Start?
First off, I share a lot of positive habits on this blog. And forming new habits requires some hard work. I know I haven’t been shy about the fact that I often have trouble finding consistency with new habits.
On that note, I recently came across some highly relevant advice from Sarah Wilson’s book, First We Make the Beast Beautiful (side note: I HIGHLY recommend this book for any anxious people, or people who love an anxious person). Sarah shares a quote by artist, Andy Warhol. He said, “Either once only, or every day. If you do something once, it’s exciting. And if you do it every day, it’s exciting. But if you do it, say, twice or just almost every day, it’s not good anymore.”
In most cases, when you choose to do something inconsistently, you force yourself into a constant need to make a choice. “Should I do my gratitude journal today?” is a lot harder on your mental faculties as compared to “It’s time to do my gratitude journal for today.”
So that’s step one: make it a daily habit.
Gratitude Practices to Try
Write a Letter: Like in the research studies, think of someone that has done something nice to you or to others. Write a letter to them expressing your appreciation for them and their actions. It’s totally up to you if you want to actually give the letter to the intended person. The research shows you get the benefits either way!
Keep a Gratitude Journal: You can purchase a physical journal that provides daily prompts (I use the Five Minute Journal, which also has a really convenient phone app), or you can just use a blank notebook. There are lots of options for what you can write. You could start your day with 3-5 things you’re grateful for in your life. You might end the day with 3 good things and their causes. Play around with it and check in with what practice feels most fulfilling, and easiest to stick with. You could write something as routine as, “I’m grateful for the beautiful sunrise this morning,” or as specific as, “I’m grateful that my hard work in the gym paid off in sending that difficult climbing route today.”
Use Signs or Cues: Choose something you come across often- that street sign you always pass on the way to work, the “Little Library” on your neighborhood walk… Even better if you can use something that doesn’t always put you in the best mood- dirty dishes left in the sink, laundry that needs folding, an empty dog bowl that needs filled. Take those cues as a reminder to reflect on something you’re grateful for. “I’m grateful for that healthy, spunky dog I get to love on.”
Put it in Your Pocket: Choose a small object (a pebble, personal trinket, photo). Keep it in your pocket and take it out whenever you get to a new destination. Every time you look at the trinket or touch it in your pocket, take a moment to reflect on something that you’re grateful for.
Practice a Gratitude Meditation: Try finding a guided meditation focused on gratitude, or select a gratitude-themed mantra to meditate on. You can start with “Gratitude Meditation” by Dr. Lauren Tober on Insight Timer.
Before You Leave...
I just want to say, I’m grateful that you’re here!
One Comment
Aunt Née
I’m grateful for you and your blog. You share profound knowledge, helpful positive mental health tricks and tips, and calming techniques. You are beautiful inside and out. Keep doing what you’re doing. The world needs more people like you! 💝