Emotions and thoughts tag and loop each other.  What comes first the thought or emotion? That is a good question. I think it can go either way. You can be feeling irritated or down. If you are conscious, you will find that you start thinking thoughts that support feeling sad, angry, or fearful. On the other hand, you’ve probably had the experience of being OK and hearing a story that seems to make you mad or sad.

It makes sense if we talk about thoughts and emotions as vibration. Like energies attract each other. If we were to put emotions on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), depression, fear and anger would fall 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Where gratitude, love and bliss might be 8, 9, and 10 respectively.  It is interesting to know that the hormones and chemistry of the body/mind is very different at each end of this scale.

Gratitude is a powerful thing and science continues to discover the various mental and physical effects gratitude has on the body/mind. Let’s look at a few of those to give you an idea of what you can expect if you start to make feeling gratitude a daily focus.

The Mental Benefits of Gratitude

Our brain is wired for survival. The amygdala is a small organ in the center of the brain. It is part of the limbic system. It is always scanning for danger. That was important in caveman times when our life depended on knowing where danger was. When the amygdala senses the possibility of danger, the fight or flight stress reaction starts, and the sympathetic nervous system is activated. At that moment, we lose the ability to think well causing us to do and say things we may regret. Hormones of adrenalin and cortisol flood the body, for the fight for flight. Heart rate goes up, respiratory rate goes up as well. Digestion stops and blood is sent to the muscles. This worked well to fight off the saber tooth tiger back in the day. Doesn’t work so well today if you spouse or boss is upset with you. To boot, after such an incident, you may be likely to ruminate for hours on what you could have done or should have done. That keeps the stress reaction going. There is no peace.

On the other hand, having a practice such as gratitude, changes everything. Here the parasympathetic (Vagus nerve) system is activated. This is rest and digest. Hormones like dopamine, oxytocin (love or cuddle hormone), acetylcholine (slows heart rate, lowers blood pressure). Here, we can enter a place of calm, peace and happiness.

You can move into the parasympathetic state easily with breathing techniques, meditation, and gratitude.

Practicing gratitude helps your overall mental health because you instantly have a better outlook on life. Don’t be surprised to walk away from your latest gratitude meditation with a big smile on your face. The benefits don’t stop at increased happiness. Feeling more gratitude has been linked to a better self-image, less anxiety and even a reduction of depression.

The Physical Benefits of Gratitude

The release of these “feel-good” hormones affects your physical body as well. Gratitude reduces stress and with it, you’re sleeping better, your blood pressure lowers, and you have more energy. Gratitude helps with sleep. Sleeping soundly helps your body heal. Good sleep reduces stress, helping you to think clearly make smarter choices all around. All these things work hand in hand to turn you into a healthier and stronger version of yourself.

Gratitude is particularly important for heart health. Between the lower blood pressure and reduced stress, putting less strain on the heart.

I like HeartMath Institute. They have done years of study correlating stress and heart dis-ease!

There is a definite mind body connection. When we are frustrated, or angry (mental) the heart will demonstrate erratic heart rhythms.  When we experience emotions of appreciation, gratitude, love, the heart produces a very different rhythm, a smooth pattern like rolling hills.

People may say it is hard to get into and have gratitude. I think it is a choice. You can choose to be grateful at any time, even if a situation isn’t to your preference. This is a learned and practiced state you and I can achieve.

There are several ways to reach gratitude. One is to have a gratitude journal. Write in your journal every day. Morning or night, log all the things for which you are grateful. Maybe it is just the next breath or a whole long list. Allow yourself to find something for which to be grateful.

During the day, look for things to be thankful. Like getting a green light or the last carton of your favorite ice cream. The trick is to notice these things and appreciate them.

HeartMath Institute teaches ways to have a gratitude practice. The basic practice is to sit and focus you breath on your heart area as if your heart was breathing.  When I do this, I become quiet.  I start thinking of people, places and things that make me happy and allow my hear to open. One of my favorites is stepping back into memories of watching the sun set on Venice Beach FL with mom. I can see it clearly. I hear the waves lap the shore. I hear the birds. I can see a sailboat cross in front of the setting sun. I can smell the air. I hear people laughing and playing in the water. My heart opens wide.  I hold this state for 10-20 minutes. The more I do this, the easier it becomes. Just adapt this practice to you. If you do a gratitude practice, your mind will know peace and your body will feel great.

Give it a try.

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