How Practicing Gratitude Can Improve Your Mental Health

In a consumerism-driven society, being grateful for what you already have is a radical act. There is always something to be thankful for, even in the mundanity of day-to-day life. Some days, we just have to look harder than others.

Gratitude is defined as the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful, or a general state of thankfulness, according to the National Institute of Health. As the finals approach and the days get shorter and darker, we must find small ways to brighten our lives. 

When we practice gratitude, it can positively impact our mental health by encouraging us to focus on the present moment and be thankful for what we have.

Practicing gratitude can be as simple as waking up in the morning and taking a minute to think about or write down a list of everything you are grateful for. 

According to Mayo Clinic, practicing gratitude daily can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease. Practicing gratitude also releases oxytocin, a hormone that contributes to our feelings of safety and connectedness. 

“I feel like gratitude helps you feel appreciative, it helps you remember that everyone is living a life just as rich and complicated as your own,” said Bryce Crane, English education major. 

Of course, there are times when people — myself included — have a hard time feeling grateful, especially at this point in the semester, when the days are dark, cold and the homework feels endless. 

For me, it is easy to get caught in a negative cycle of feeling ungrateful and irritated about the work I have to do, the problems I need to solve and the general stress of daily life. However, I try to remind myself that being in college and having the opportunity to be educated is an incredible privilege — one that not everyone has — and that alone is enough to be grateful for. 

When I sit down to make a list of things I appreciate in my life, it gets easier to see the world in a better light and to recognize the many blessings I am lucky enough to have. Even on the worst day ever, I can still be grateful for the sunshine and my own two hands.

Another part of practicing gratitude is reframing negative thoughts into positive ones. For example, if I am cleaning my room and thinkingabout how much I hate this chore and every sock I’m picking up, I try to change my mindset and instead think about how lucky I am to have a space that I can make my own.

“I don’t practice gratitude in my daily life, but I would like to be better about it,” said Aedan Hanson, secondary science education major. “I think that when you do practice gratitude, it can make you recognize the great things that you have going on, and not focus on the bad.”

There are many ways to practice gratitude, including keeping a gratitude journal, thanking others or simply being present and appreciating the natural world around you. It can be so simple — as you walk to class today, try making a list of what you are grateful for in your head. 

Small changes add up over time, and if we never make them, our lives will never change. So, what are you grateful for today?