Gratitude is often recognized for its psychological benefits, such as boosting happiness and reducing stress, but there are some lesser-known and intriguing aspects of its value. For example, many people find that expressing gratitude is essential for building resilience in recovery. Let’s take a closer look at some reasons why.
Defining Gratitude
Positive Psychology notes that gratitude is “both a state and a trait.” More specifically, you can “experience gratitude for someone or something at a certain moment in time” or “more long-term as a positive character trait.”
The Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) expands on this concept by explaining that when you’re grateful, you’re choosing to affirm what’s good in the world. More importantly, according to Robert A. Emmons, “we recognize that the sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves. We acknowledge that other people—or even higher powers, if you’re of a spiritual mindset—gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives.” Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, is considered to be the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude.
10 Reasons Why Gratitude Is Beneficial to Your Health
Expressing thanks and choosing to affirm the good in life isn’t only about a spark in the moment—it’s a consistent, powerful tool that benefits you in numerous ways. Here are just a few.
- Improved Brain Function
Research indicates that a consistent gratitude practice is linked to improved activation in the medial prefrontal cortex. So while addiction is a brain disease, regularly reflecting on what you’re thankful for is one of many methods that help increase neural sensitivity in brain regions associated with social rewards and empathy. This strengthens pathways and makes it easier to feel gratitude more often.
- Reduced Anxiety and Depression Symptoms
One vital aspect of individualized mental health treatment is to help people gain access to various coping skills to manage their condition more effectively. For many people, writing letters of thanks or keeping a gratitude journal shifts focus away from negative emotions and fosters a more positive perspective.
- Enhanced Physical Health
Along with mental and emotional health, gratitude is instrumental for physical wellness, too. Key areas include improved cardiovascular performance, reduced inflammation, a calmer stress hormone response to minimize cortisol spikes, and a strengthened immune system.
- Lessened Chronic Pain
It’s also thought that focusing on positive aspects of life can redirect your brain’s attention away from discomfort, thus altering pain perception. This is especially important if you’re trying to ease chronic pain in recovery.
- Improved Recovery From Trauma
Gratitude may play a significant role in post-traumatic growth. Being grateful helps people process and cope with negative experiences, making it easier to find personal meaning and strength.
- Heightened Patience
When individuals feel grateful, they’re more willing to wait for a larger reward rather than taking an immediate but smaller one. This is because gratitude helps create a sense of contentment and fulfillment, reducing impulsive behavior.
- Stronger Connections
People who express and feel gratitude are more likely to strengthen their relationships, as it fosters a cycle of giving and appreciation. It essentially acts as a “social glue” that binds individuals together and reinforces supportive connections.
- Better Sleep Quality.
While the research is a bit mixed, the general consensus is if you take a moment to reflect on what you’re grateful for prior to going to bed, you’ll likely fall asleep faster, enjoy more restful sleep, and wake up feeling refreshed. This is likely because mindful acknowledgement reduces negative thoughts and worry, promoting a calmer state of mind.
- Lower Risk of Burnout
Maintaining your recovery is sometimes a challenge, especially if you’re still learning how to control triggers, practice urge surfing, and stay focused on your wellness goals. Since gratitude helps with emotional regulation, it might also add to your overall resilience so you can avoid sobriety burnout.
- Greater Sense of Purpose and Meaning in Life
GGSC reports that people who have moments of awe and gratitude feel more connected to their values and have a clearer sense of direction in life. “That’s because each of these emotions is tied to well-being, caring about others, and finding meaning in life, which all help us focus on how we can contribute to the world,” the organization states.
To start a gratitude practice, try these ideas from the National Institutes of Health.
Learn to Live Better at Ivory Plains
At our addiction rehabilitation program in Adair, Iowa, our board-certified professionals believe that you have great capacity to live beyond your disease. Our goal is to introduce you to many different wellness aspects so you can design a rich, full, and sober life. Our admissions specialists can outline more of our philosophy and why we believe it will work for you.
