Understanding the Power of Gratitude
We are currently living through a pandemic. These are tough and challenging times. Our routines, progress and momentum have all been disrupted and things are far from “normal”. Disruption to routine can be a major stressor to both our minds and our bodies. Unfortunately, Chiropractic care is currently limited to “emergency only”, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to support your nervous system. We understand that everyone is experiencing this new reality differently and wanted to offer you some insight in an area that is being heavily researched right now. We want to give you a tool or a practice that you can understand and reason with because a lot of things don’t make sense right now.
You have likely seen on many social media platforms, prompts for gratitude. It may be challenging to focus on something to be grateful for when a lot of things feel like they are going wrong. I encourage you to find the silver linings or be grateful for at least the bare minimums. Here is why.
Gratitude may be broadly defined as the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful to oneself. Being grateful is not synonymous with being happy. You can be sad, depressed, angry, grieving or heartbroken – yet still be grateful. Having gratitude doesn’t negate “negative” emotions, it just allows you to appreciate things that still provide value and meaning. It allows you to shift your focus. It’s a mindset; a perspective, and it takes practice.
Practicing gratitude can have positive health outcomes, which is why it is so beneficial! Dr. Robert A. Emmons and Dr. Michael E. McCullough are two psychologists that have conducted a large volume of research on the topic of gratitude. In one study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics:
Group 1: Wrote about events during the week that they were grateful for.
Group 2: Wrote about daily irritations or things that bothered them.
Group 3: Wrote neutral statements about events throughout the week with no emphasis on positive or negative emotions.
Guess what the outcomes were? After 10 weeks, those who focused on gratitude reported feeling more optimistic and felt better about their lives. They also reported more physical activity and had fewer visits to their physicians when compared against the groups that focused on the irritations and aggravating thoughts/experiences.[1]
Practicing gratitude can also help alleviate stress and pain. With genuine expressions of gratitude, there are certain neural networks in the brain that light up. The medial pre-frontal cortex to be more specific. This area of the brain is associated with social reward and moral cognition. People who practice gratitude generally experience greater life satisfaction, have a stronger resiliency to heatlh issues, report better sleep quality, experience lower levels of burnout and stress and
therefore less inflammation and depression. [2]
Some days it may feel easier to find things to be grateful for than others. Some days can be really tough. It is important to focus on all the amazing benefits of practicing gratitude! For those more
challenging times, here are a few basic things you can be grateful for:
Having clean air to breath
Having clean clothes to wear
Having access to running water
Having electricity
Having a roof over your head
Sometimes focusing on the simple things can have huge impacts. Even with a lot going on – there is a lot to be grateful for. What are you grateful for?
Yours in Health,
Dr. Arti Kumar
I am so grateful for all my patients and this profession. I am grateful for this platform and my ability to share my passion for Chiropractic. I hope you are all keeping well during this time! I can’t wait to return to practice full-time to help you on your wellness journey.
[1] Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2003;84(2), 377–389.
[2] Henning M, Fox GR, Kaplan J, Damasio H, Damasio A. A Potential Role for mu-Opioids in Mediating the Positive Effects of Gratitude. Front Psychol. 2017;8:868. Published 2017 Jun 21. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.0086
