How discovering ‘Vitamin G’ has transformed my life

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.

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!