A Blog By Abbie Lupelow
Gratitude + Mental Health
Gratitude is the feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. As a mental health therapist, I can say that intentionally practicing gratitude has significant benefits for your mental health.
You see, our brains are really good at focusing on the negative things in our lives. When we feel even a small amount of stress, we become more likely to notice those negatives. We start paying attention to the ways coworkers let us down, the moments when family or friends use seemingly disrespectful or harsh words or tones, or the feeling that we have nothing but bad luck, such as hitting every red light on the way home or choosing the slowest checkout line at the grocery store. All of this puts us in a bad mood and increases our stress.
Our brains are really good at focusing on the negative things because they’re trying to protect us. Protect us from potential threats, like getting in trouble at work or a deceitful friend, or protecting us from getting our hopes up only to be let down. While focusing on the negative is natural and necessary for survival, it also tends to overcompensate for the negative and keeps us from being as happy as we could be.
That is where intentionally practicing gratitude comes in. Did you know that stating at least 5 things that you are grateful for once a day has the potential to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety? Practicing gratitude prompts the release of happy chemicals in the brain, like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. These chemicals produce calmer and more content feelings. Long-term effects of practising gratitude also boost your self-esteem and confidence by more easily appreciating your strengths and accomplishments, and it boosts your social relationships by promoting kindness, generosity, and compassion towards others.
Note that gratitude is not a cure-all for mental health issues, and it may not feel like it’s doing a lot in the moment. But the more you practice gratitude (and it’s easy practice!), the more you strengthen the positive neural pathways in your mind.
Gratitude + The Bible
It’s amusing to me that I can explain the benefits of practicing gratitude after years of education and work in the mental health therapy field, when God has given us countless examples and instructions for practicing gratitude in the Bible!
In Acts 16:23-34, Paul and Silas are beaten and thrown into a dungeon. At midnight, they prayed and sang hymns of praise to God. Their praise and gratitude led to an earthquake, which opened all the prison doors, and saved the jailer and his family from discontented prisoners.
In Luke 1:46-55, Mary praises God after learning that she would give birth to His son, stating, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Mary was a young woman and would understandably be shocked, afraid, and worried about being unexpectedly pregnant with Jesus, but her praise and gratitude to God calmed her, improving her perspective and outlook on the situation.
Jesus gave many examples of practicing gratitude to God before performing miracles. In John 6:11, Jesus gave thanks to God for the few loaves of bread that he had before feeding 5,000 people. In John 11:41-42, Jesus gave thanks to God before raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus made sure people witnessed his acts of gratitude before miracles to model what giving thanks to God could do.
Gratitude + You
I’m not saying that giving thanks to God means that you’ll cause an earthquake or have unfathomable amounts of food, but giving thanks improves our mood and shifts our perspective to a more positive outlook. Having a more positive outlook encourages the problem-solving and organizing regions of our mind to work and help us out in tough situations. Practicing gratitude makes miserable situations just a little less miserable and a little more hopeful. And a little more hope goes a long way.
I encourage you to practice gratitude this Thanksgiving. Intentionally identify 5 things in your life that you are grateful for. And continue to practice gratitude as often as you can! It is so worth it.