There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude

I write a lot about gratitude and make no apologies for that. In my experience it is one of the most important aspects of human development and by cultivating gratitude we can lay the foundations for a different, more fulfilling way of being.

First let’s look at how stress and anxiety affect our bodies and how practicing gratitude can lessen their impact on us.

The human brain is a wonderful thing and scientist are only just beginning to understand how it works. One concept they have discovered is the idea of neuroplasticity, the idea that we can actively change how our brains work through choice and practice.

The concept is quite simple. The neurons in our brains that we use most form connections whilst the ones that we use least remain disconnected. Put simply we can often become accustomed to being anxious and stressed and form pathways in our brain that we get stuck in. The more we get stuck, the more anxious and stressed we become, and our body manufactures the chemicals adrenalin and cortisol as a response. It becomes a vicious circle.

Here’s where gratitude can help. Through practicing gratitude daily, we can make new connections in our brain which in turn lead to the production of the chemical oxytocin. Oxytocin is a feel-good hormone; we produce it when we fall in love. It also helps to counteract the effects of adrenalin and cortisol, meaning that the more grateful we are, the less anxious and stressed we will feel. As a result, we will begin to be much less reactive and instead more responsive to our environment and relationships.

Research has shown that if we record three things that we are grateful for each day, most of us will experience an increased sense of wellbeing and lower levels of stress.

That’s easier said than done, I can hear you all say. Life is busy enough without having to add yet another well-being practice into our daily routine. Experience has taught me that the best way to change any behaviour is with the support of others. So, if you do decide to start a gratitude practice, you’ll most likely succeed if you enlist the help and support of others.

Here at Lifetime, we have our Lifetime Therapy Gratitude Practice page on Facebook with around six hundred members, we support each other in maintaining a sense of gratitude in our lives, difficult though that may be in the current times. A successful gratitude practice does not involve merely reflecting at the end of each day. We cultivate a mindful awareness of the countless opportunities for gratitude throughout each day and are often left with far more than three things to record and be grateful for.

It is this increased sense of mindfulness that is the true gift of a gratitude practice. As we become more mindful, we become more responsive. Whilst we are aware of our emotions, they become less dominant and easier to live with.

Here at Lifetime, any of our therapists can support you in developing a more grateful, mindful way of being and if you’d like to work with one of us, we’re at www.lifetimetherapy.co.uk .