I have heard and
read about gratitude and its positive impact on health for years before the
first attempt to apply it to my situation. Every spiritual approach and
religion out there teaches about importance and helpfulness of gratitude. In
the past twenty years or so scientists have been catching up with the idea as
well. For example, Robert Emmons, Ph.D. is a director of the lab at UC-Davis
that has been studying gratitude and well-being for many years now. In one of
the projects they asked people to keep daily journals. One group was asked to
record things they are grateful for, another group was asked to write about
difficulties and events causing negative feelings, and the third group was
asked to write about any of their daily experiences. The study found that those
who kept gratitude journals exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical
symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic
about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life
events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). Other studies showed positive effects
of gratitude on the functioning of immune system, mood, anxiety, recovery from
trauma, relationships, and so forth.
Despite all the
overwhelming evidence that practicing gratitude may improve both physical and
mental health, I never considered applying those findings to myself. When it
was first suggested to me to write in a gratitude journal, I thought my
therapist was full of shit. REALLY???? Gratitude journal? What the fuck do I
have to be grateful for? Nightmares? Panic attacks? Constant problems with my
physical health? Immigration issues? Inability to get out of bed, because I am
so fatigued and depressed? Struggling with simple things like making meals for
my family and cleaning my house? My anger took the best out of me at that
point, and I did not follow up on this idea. Just a year later I found myself
so depressed that I was willing to try anything. At that point, my therapist
suggested gratitude journal again, and I agreed to give it a go.
The idea was to
write down 3-5 things I am grateful for on a daily basis. My first entries in gratitude journal had 1 or
2 items. Most of them read something along the lines: “I am grateful that this
day is over” or “I am thankful I can go to bed now”. I was NOT sarcastic. This
is how I really felt. As months went by my entries became more comprehensive
and included a number of different appreciations. I became capable of feeling
grateful for good night’s sleep and for enough energy to wash dishes and for
play time with my daughter. Few months later I graduated to being thankful
for my husband’s sense of humor, my daughter’s curious mind, my body’s ability
to practice yoga, and for the safety of my neighborhood. What was happening to
me? I believe that my ability to notice good things and blessings in life was
developing. It has been exercised daily for a while. So, a year after I started
this practice I was more capable of paying attention to and focusing on things
that were right. And, I discovered through this practice that there was much
more right than wrong with my life. I kind of knew it before, but I did not
feel or experience it until I put time and effort into the gratitude journal.
In addition to my
sharpened ability to notice good things, I believe that the practice of
gratitude led to improved mood, decreased anxiety, and increased sense of
well-being. Since my first gratitude journal, I keep coming back to this
practice over and over again. I start making entries on the daily basis, when I
notice first signs of depression creeping in. Also, I actively use my journal
through the holiday season to stay grounded in the hurricaines of commercialism
and entitlement that I observe around me. Some entries in my journal are about
big things, like my house or peace and safety of my community; others are about
small things like playing with my cat or beautiful colors of fall leaves. Sometimes
when I had a difficult day, I read through the journal entries in the evening
and they remind me of the wider positive context of my life and help me escape
the tunnel vision.
I highly
recommend this practice to anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, or PTSD.
If you are willing to try, start with a clean notebook and a pen. Write down
today’s date and underneath it describe 3-5 different things you are grateful
for today. Then repeat the same thing tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and
daily for two weeks. In the end of the two weeks, read through your entries.
Notice how they make you feel. Reflect on how this practice affected you (even
in tiniest ways) in the past two weeks. If you noticed any positive effects at
all, consider continuing with it.
Helpful tips
about gratitude journal:
- You don’t have to write in it every day to get the benefits. Even writing in it once a week could be very helpful. HOWEVER, consistency and continuity are very important like with any practice. After all, you would not go to the GYM just once and expect that this visit will get you in good shape. Right?
- If you feel resistant towards this idea, ask yourself what concerns you. Maybe it seems cheesy to a part of you or maybe it feels like too much work. Maybe a part of you feels hopeless and not willing to try yet another approach only to find it did not help in the end. Acknowledge any and all concerns that you are hearing from different sides of you. Treat those questions and worries as very important. Ask what can help that side feel less worried. And then follow through with that. You may be surprised how easy internal resistances could be resolved once we listen with respect and show desire to work things out.
- Make the experience of writing in the journal pleasing for you. Use supplies that you like. Buy a notebook that appeals to you and that you want to use. Be creative with the journal if you feel like it. Doodling, drawing, writing in circles, create collages, using mixed media, or whatever else that appeals to the different sides of you will facilitate this process and make it more interesting.
If you would like to learn more
about gratitude’s impact on well-being and different gratitude practices, check
out the following resources:
Thank you for reading,
Irina Diyankova
