September 19th, 2023

Coach Sophie

I wanted to share with you all about something that I’ve been working on and studying over the past few months that I hope to grow in me over the course of this year and my life. This idea or practice is that of gratitude. In full transparency, I have had more than a few seasons in my life when things got more difficult than I would have liked and gratitude felt like the last thing I wanted to have on my mind. I mean, how could I have a grateful mindset in the times when I felt like things were falling apart?

Last year, in my version of a self-help journey, I started reading more articles and listening to more podcasts about the science of happiness and kept hearing about gratitude’s effect on mindset. The results I learned about and stories I heard got me thinking it was too good to be true. These studies were showing that practicing gratitude can help make us happier (as measured by scientific standards), support mental health and relationships, help open our eyes to more opportunities and possibilities, and be more creative!

Why is taking a gratitude moment effective? It’s the easiest and quickest way to reset your mood! By pausing to take a brief moment to think about something you’re grateful for, you actually encourage your brain to create more positive neural pathways to find something (or things!) you’re grateful for that day. The neatest part of this is that, over time, each time our brains are encouraged to think a certain way, that brain pattern becomes increasingly automatic, so much so that you may find yourself noticing things you’re grateful for several times throughout a single day! I know for myself, I started with each night thinking of something unique in my day I was grateful for (choosing something unique helps the practice of gratitude not become repetitive!). I started with thoughts like “I’m grateful for this meal,” “I’m grateful for my health,” etc. The thoughts became more specific with time: “I’m grateful that the sun was out during my walk today,” “I’m grateful that I had enough time to slow down and read my book today,”. Now, after only a few months of regularly practicing gratitude, I find myself noticing things I’m grateful for all day long! Truly! I’m grateful for the person who let me merge into a busy lane, grateful for extra flavorful strawberries, grateful to get to do what I love each day, grateful for the call from my dad today and that he is a healthy dad, etc! In other words, the effect of practicing seconds of gratitude each day is CUMULATIVE! My mind is oriented towards gratitude even on my low days because I’ve consistently practiced this habit. Another thing practicing gratitude helps us see is that a lot of the things we are grateful for are non-monetary. This has been so refreshing for me and actually brought a lot of healing to my relationship with finances.

If you want to start practicing gratitude, I recommend picking a time of day each day to stack onto a habit you already have. For example, you could do it before dinner like I did. You could do it on your drive to or from work or school drop off. When you brush your teeth in the evening. When you walk your dog. The choice is yours!

Overall, gratitude helps me see that, even in the tough times, I still live a very good and blessed life. It also keeps me more present in my day to day. While I don’t promise that practicing gratitude will make your problems melt away, I will say that there is a lightness and joyfulness that comes with the practice, even in the hardest seasons. I encourage each and every one of you to join me and find even 10 seconds in each day to slow down, reflect, and be grateful Even better, ask someone to share something they’re grateful for with you as you share with them and help spread the positivity