In my youth, consciously feeling gratitude was as foreign to me as a far-off galaxy. I was too busy living to pause and really appreciate what I had. If you’d told teenage me that gratitude could transform my health, I wouldn’t have paid much attention.

Despite my mum – who worked all her adult life in mental health – telling me that the mind, body and soul were all linked. And despite me being pretty ‘up’ on all things spiritual, I never once stopped to consider the power of “vitamin G”.

Now, older and humbled by life’s unexpected twists and turns, I’ve come to see gratitude as my daily dose of something we all need. Through personal experience and a deep dive into the science, I’ve learned that gratitude isn’t just a feel-good buzzword. It’s a scientifically backed elixir for overall health and well-being.

I was saying thanks – but did I mean it?

As a child, I was a bit of a whinger. There were many things I didn’t like. Getting up in the morning, milk, most food, going to bed, school… Smells, tastes, textures, certain music all upset me. My mood could go from happy to tearful in a matter of seconds, and small problems could easily sour a happy mood or pleasant day. I had been taught how to say thank you, but I never actually felt gratitude when I said it.

What I didn’t realise as a young person was that this sort of passive negativity was actually poisoning me

To me, being grateful involves a degree of positive outpouring, something I wasn’t very good at. I’ve always found saying thank you difficult. I can give compliments, no problem. Somehow that feels different. But being truly, from-the-heart grateful has never been easy. Did I see it as a weakness? It certainly didn’t sit comfortably with me and, even now, as an adult, I wrestle with it.

What I didn’t realise as a young person was that this sort of passive negativity was actually poisoning me. My stress levels have always been sky-high, I was hyper, my behaviour unpredictable, my sleep erratic.

I carried tension like a second skin. I used to joke that I didn’t need to work out as my muscles were permanently tense. It wasn’t until recently, during a rough patch, when a friend gave me a gratitude journal as a gift and challenged me to write three things I was thankful for each day, that I recognised how life-changing being grateful could be. What started as a half-hearted exercise soon became a lifeline and science explains why.

How does gratitude work? The science…

At first, my journal entries were uninspired. “Thanks for having food to eat, for my nice hair, my comfy bed…” But, over the weeks, I began noticing the really small stuff: the warmth of a sunny morning, a stranger’s smile, the blast of a song I liked from a passing car. I felt lighter, less anxious. My sleep improved, and I even caught myself smiling more.

A 2003 study by Emmons and McCullough found that people who kept gratitude journals reported higher life satisfaction and lower stress, with cortisol levels dropping by up to 23%.

When I made an effort to be more grateful, and to express my gratitude out loud, and more often, everything changed. Being stuck in traffic didn’t bother me like it used to; instead of fuming, I’d remind myself how lucky I was to have a car. Losing work wasn’t a problem; I was thankful for the work I already had and would be able to get in the future. Relationships ending didn’t devastate me the way it once did; I was grateful for the lessons I learned from them and pleased I was free to move on.

A 2010 study in Psychological Science found that gratitude enhances emotional resilience, helping people recover faster from stress and, once I understood this, I worked harder on my daily feelings of gratitude. I soon noticed that feeling grateful on a regular basis rewired my response to life’s little annoyances.

Aaron Burden / Unsplash

The science goes deeper

Gratitude boosts the brain’s feel-good chemicals, dopamine and serotonin. This explains why my mood could be lifted even when life wasn’t going swimmingly. In one experiment, participants who wrote gratitude letters showed increased activity in the brain’s reward centres, effects that lasted months.

For me, jotting down thanks for a friend laughing at one of my corny jokes or for an especially tasty meal became a daily dopamine hit, making the world feel less heavy. A 2019 study from University College London explored this further, revealing that gratitude practices, such as daily reflection on positive events, increased serotonin levels in the brain by up to 18%.

Practising gratitude has also transformed my relationships. In my youth, I took people for granted; my parents’ support, friends’ loyalty… I was too self-absorbed to say thank you with intention. Now, I make a point of expressing appreciation, whether it’s a quick text to a work colleague or a heartfelt message in a (real!) card to a loved one.

Physically, ‘Vitamin G’ has been a game-changer

I used to battle insomnia, my mind racing with worries. But gratitude quietens the noise. Now, I end my day listing three things I’m thankful for. A cosy blanket, a good book, a kind word… and it lulls my brain into rest.

Another study linked gratitude to lower blood pressure and better immune function, suggesting my body was reaping rewards beyond my improved sleep. Even my heart health might be getting a boost.

…gratitude reduces stress, boosts mood, strengthens relationships, improves sleep and supports physical health

When I reflect on what I’m thankful for, I can almost feel my body relax and my breathing slow down. Looking back, I wish I’d embraced Vitamin G sooner. It’s not about ignoring life’s challenges or faking positivity. It’s about spotting the good amid the mess.

The science is clear: gratitude reduces stress, boosts mood, strengthens relationships, improves sleep and supports physical health. I intend to make feeling, really feeling grateful a daily ritual in the hope that it’ll make my day easier and my moving through the world smoother.

If I can become a gratitude convert, anyone can. So, take a dose of Vitamin G today. It’s free, it’s powerful and it might just be the healthiest habit you’ll ever pick up!

Jacqui Deevoy

Jacqui Deevoy has been a freelance journalist for over three decades, starting out on teenage magazines, then later working for women’s magazines worldwide, and national newspapers including the Daily Mail, the Mirror, Express and Telegraph. These days, as well as writing for magazines, papers and websites, she produces documentaries and hosts a Monday night talk show for Unprecedented TV.

The post The scientific health benefits of feeling gratitude appeared first on Silver Magazine.

Many of us are feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and struggling to cope with the restrictions of lockdown life right now. There is disorder, and disharmony. Covid-19 has a lot to answer for.

First practised over a thousand years ago, Zen is one of the key sources of the meditation and mindfulness trend that has swept the West. The simple things below are time-tested to detox your mind, lift your spirits and soothe anxiety.

Ready for some Zen?

Get some Zen – Meditate

In Japan, there’s a long tradition of people going to Zen temples to learn meditation and mindfulness to equip them for success and happiness in life. While we can’t disappear to a Zen monastery right now, we can easily implement Zen tools into our everyday life. And gain remarkable results.

Make meditation a daily practice. Recent studies have shown that meditation decreases the stress hormone cortisol and increases the release of dopamine (the chemical associated with feelings of pleasure). It also boosts our serotonin levels.

Depleted serotonin levels are associated with depression. So regular meditation acts like a natural anti-depressant, and unlike prescription pills there are no nasty side effects. Plus with meditation, you get to know yourself on a deeper level and the inward connection can even lead to states of elevated consciousness and bliss.

Looking for ways to raise your dopamine? You might like this article about ‘feelgood chemicals‘

Get some Zen – Be Present

Zen places an emphasis on mindfulness – being aware and being present in every moment. This helps to boost our happiness levels since we can start to move out of our head. Getting away from any overthinking, or negative, anxious thoughts swirling around, to becoming fully present and engaged.

This might sound simple. But it takes practice for us to drop old patterns of distraction and simply be in the present moment. If you find it challenging to stay in the present or you find your mind wandering, simply focus upon your breathing. Start allowing your breath to be deeper and longer – this instantly calms the nervous system and enhances our happy hormones.

How is your sleep health? You might like this article about improving your sleep

Get some Zen – Cope with Emotional Pain

The Zen secret to working with emotional pain is found in the acronym AA – awareness and acceptance.

When we stay with our emotional pain, without avoidance or judgement, and replace it with a sense of compassionate awareness, extraordinary transformation and healing can happen.

It’s also useful to view pain as a messenger, trying to communicate with us and point out something about how we are living. And naturally, taking any necessary action relating to your suffering is also crucial.

With Zen, we try to treat our emotions like floating clouds that go right through us.

Get some Zen – Cultivate Gratitude

In Zen, there is an emphasis on cultivating an attitude of gratitude. Being grateful and focusing upon the blessings in our life helps to change our perspective about how we see life in general.

If we only focus on our challenges and hardships, this can have a negative impact on our health. Because thought follows attention. Instead, if we turn towards to all the positives in our life, then that will occupy more of our attention.

So spend a few minutes per day reflecting on what you’re grateful for in life. This will elevate your happiness levels. We can even learn to be grateful for our most uncomfortable circumstances in life too as they ultimately show us what we need to heal and how we can grow. And as the Zen proverb goes, ‘No mud, no lotus’.

Julian Daizan Skinner is London’s leading Zen teacher, founder of Zenways and author of Practical Zen: Meditation and Beyond, available from amazon.co.uk priced at £13.99

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The post It’s time to get some Zen in your life appeared first on Silver Magazine.