A stress-busting practice (DW#620)
Research shows that gratitude activates our parasympathetic (the calming part of the) nervous system and this results in decreasing cortisol (the stress hormone) levels and therefore reducing stress.
The connection between gratitude and stress may not be immediately obvious. After all, why would my stress go down when I feel grateful for something?
Here are some possible explanations:
The directing of attention: Our brain can generally only focus on one thing at a time. When we intentionally move our attention away from stressful thoughts and instead direct it to a positive memory or experience, it can create a sense of wellbeing and cause us to let go of stress.
Recognizing support:When we direct your gratitude towards people, we recognize that we have been on the receiving end of love and support from people. We realize that we are not alone and that we have resources to deal with stress.
Switching away from automatic negative thinking:Stress is often caused by catastrophizing and focusing on negative possibilities. When we intentionally begin to notice what is right in our lives, we have the opportunity to break the downward spiral of negative thinking.
Putting things in perspective: During challenging times, it can be easy to lose sight of the blessings we enjoy and begin to believe that there is nothing but hardship in our lives. Thinking like this increases stress whereas switching our awareness from all our life stressors to all of the things that are going well, that make us feel good, and connected to abundance gives us a sense of realistic hope and optimism.
Join our blog!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.