Tips to Boost Your Resilience with the Power of Gratitude

Historically, autumn in the Northern Hemisphere has been known as the season of harvest and reflection. In the United States, November is also the season of giving thanks. A wonderful reminder to cultivate our own practice of gratitude. Research shows that expressing gratitude can significantly enhance the well-being of both individuals and organizations.

Gratitude is also a simple but powerful practice that can help reduce burnout, not only because it feels good, but because it’s a scientifically proven way to manage distressing events. In essence, gratitude is about expressing thankfulness—it’s the state of being grateful, being appreciative of benefits you’ve received from people and experiences. 

Turning our attention to what we are grateful for, especially in the midst of chaos, brings stress reduction and a boost to our immune systems. Over 15 years of research show that intentional gratitude practices increase attention, determination, and enthusiasm as well as reduce anxiety, depression, and physical ailments.

Practicing gratitude activates several regions of the brain including the prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, the ventral striatum, and the insula. These regions help us regulate emotions, form social bonds, and experience rewards. 

Dr. Melissa Madeson states, “Essentially, when we experience gratitude, it changes physiological aspects of the brain that reside at the neurotransmitter level. These changes create feelings of happiness and contentment.

UC Berkeley’s Dr. Summer Allen, says “...gratitude is an intrinsic part of being human, part of the very building blocks of human biology.” 

Gratitude can buffer us from life’s challenges. Studies show that gratitude improves the quality of sleep, reduces stress, and increases our psychological well-being. It actively increases our resilience to stressors by focusing our attention on positive things, making us happier, calmer, and improving our relationships. It’s been shown to lower levels of drug use and can help people recover from addiction. It reduces depression as well as suicidal thoughts and actions.

Gratitude’s protective factor is immensely helpful in the midst of chaos, as environmental crises and political stressors present us with new challenges we haven’t faced before. Simply put, gratitude helps us recover more quickly from traumatic events.

Dr. Chris Mosunic, the Chief Clinical Officer at Calm states, “By regularly acknowledging what we're thankful for, our brain may become better equipped at finding silver linings during tough times. It may enable us to bounce back quicker from stressful events and adapt to life's challenges with more optimism.”

Begin With Yourself

Reap the benefits of gratitude by first focusing on yourself. Dr. Melissa Madeson states, “A simple practice of standing in front of the mirror and saying five good things you appreciate about yourself can do wonders for confidence and sparking joy.” You can compliment yourself for anything from your attitude and persistence to your talents and achievements. Nothing is too big or too small to acknowledge, especially if you talk to yourself like you do when you’re boosting up your best friend. 

Another practice is to write daily in a gratitude journal. You can simply list 3 things you are grateful for each day or you can focus on prompts like these (or use this worksheet):

• What I am learning from current challenges I’m facing
• People I am grateful for
• Significant assets of my life at present

Research shows that people who keep a gratitude journal report better physical health (e.g., lower blood pressure, fewer headaches, less stomach pain, clearer skin, as well as reduced congestion, sore muscles, and nausea) in as little as two weeks. Start a team gratitude journal that everyone can contribute to, or purchase gratitude journals for your employees to use at home—a simple nighttime ritual of listing three things you’re grateful for just before you fall asleep can create powerful results. 

6 Strategies for Bringing Gratitude to Your Work

Bringing the benefits of gratitude into work settings may be more important than ever. Studies show that gratitude improves people’s job satisfaction, their sense of self-efficacy, and helps them manage stress. This leads to few sick days and higher levels of engagement. 

Dr. Ryan Fehr at the University of Washington studies gratitude in the workplace, working with managers from tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon. He says that the first rule is to create a gratitude habit, which can shift the culture in powerful ways, where “persistent gratitude is shared by members of an organization.” This leads to increased engagement, retention, positivity, and even better health. Here are six strategies for bringing more gratitude to your workplace.

• Start meetings with gratitude
  Whether your meetings are in person or online, start a meeting by asking people to share something they are grateful for. This helps people get to know each other, fostering connection. It also helps people become more present and less stressed because it lowers blood pressure while releasing dopamine and oxytocin.

• Engage in acts of appreciation
  We live in a culture where it’s common to point out problems but rare to highlight the positive. Build time in your meetings for people to appreciate others’ contributions and efforts—or use online tools or apps built for coworker appreciation. According to Dr. Camille Preston, “Gratitude builds engagement and trust, increases retention and results in higher quality work.”
   

• Find gratitude in challenging times
  When you experience something difficult at work, reflect on what you learned—this can turn a challenging experience into something positive. One teacher is fostering resilience in her students by calling them “oops-ortunities”, helping them see that mistakes can become opportunities. Choosing to seek out and focus on the silver lining shifts people out of negativity to gratitude.

• Look for the impact
  Several studies show that when we can see the impact of our efforts on others, we feel more gratitude. All of us do things that impact others, whether it’s making the project go smoothly, or supporting a coworker who is having a bad day, or playing our specific role in the mission or vision of the organization where we work. Managers and senior leaders can help make this last connection more clear by talking about the successes of the organization and the impact it’s having on the world. 

I cover these last two in more depth, along with many more great practices, in my latest book, Wired to Become: The Brain Science of Finding Your Purpose, Creating Meaningful Work, and Achieving Your Potential. Please find a free section here. 

Three Powerful Gratitude Habits to Start Today

Several studies show that these three gratitude practices yield great results for individuals and organizations. Consider how you can use these over the coming weeks to build a habit that becomes easier with time. 

1. Listen to a guided meditation on gratitude
   Any mindfulness practice yields powerful results but meditations on gratitude can be especially helpful. In as little as five minutes, the brain shifts significantly and a regular practice creates permanent changes in the brain. Learn more in the book Altered Traits by Dr. Daniel Goleman and Dr. Richard Davidson. Try a guided meditation and see how it makes you feel. Consider the 5-minute meditation by Mindful Movement on YouTube. Or the many options on Calm including “Drifting Off with Gratitude”, “Unwind with Gratitude” or their course titled “7 Days of Gratitude.”.
2. Write a gratitude letter
   Write a quick letter to someone who did something for you—it can be big or small but it’s something for which you are grateful. Thank them and let them know what they did, how it made your life better, and let them know that you appreciate them. This does not need to be long—the Duke study found that 7-10 minutes was all it took to pen a quick note that yielded all the benefits for the sender and receiver.
3. Hold a gratitude huddle
   In this busy work world of meetings, it’s easy to get focused on the to-do list. Balance that out with a gratitude huddle where people share things they are grateful for. This can easily be woven into regular staff meetings. In healthcare, safety meetings during the shift change is particularly impactful but it works in all industries. 

No matter which approach you try, the scientists at Calm recommend focusing on the 4 A’s of practicing gratitude effectively.

• Appreciation: Actively recognizing and valuing the positive aspects and people in your life
• Acknowledgement: Consciously acknowledging the good things and feeling thankful for them
• Admiration: Admiring the qualities, skills, or achievements of others and yourself
• Affection: Showing love and fondness for the people and things that positively impact your life

As we enter this season of gratitude and the winter holidays, we have an opportunity to engage in radical self care that will help us continue to heal from burnout and manage the onslaught of distressing news. An investment in a gratitude practice will pay off many times over in better health, both physical and mental. It will also help us feel connected in meaningful ways. 

In that spirit, I want to take this time to express my gratitude for YOU. I am deeply thankful to be part of this network of like-minded professionals and I feel so blessed to be able to connect with each other, learn together, and support one another. I wish you a wonderful holiday season filled with lots of rest, connection, and joy.

With appreciation,

Britt