Practicing Gratitude

Ever wonder what happens to your brain when you practice gratitude? This month as we explore the habit of celebration and appreciation, we will also explore the role that gratitude plays in this habit.

This Mindful article What the Brain Reveals About Gratitude shares recent research on this topic: “In other words, our data suggest that because gratitude relies on the brain networks associated with social bonding and stress relief, this may explain in part how grateful feelings lead to health benefits over time. Feeling grateful and recognizing help from others creates a more relaxed body state and allows the subsequent benefits of lowered stress to wash over us. (We recently published a scientific paper elaborating on these ideas.)”

If you don’t have a regular gratitude practice, start this simple one today. At the end of each day, find 3 things that you are grateful for, and try to be as specific as possibly. So for example, instead of being grateful for family, I am grateful that my son unloaded the dishwasher without me having to remind him. The more specific we get, the more we will be searching out moments of gratitude throughout our day!