The health benefits of gratitude are one of the most underrated things in the world of mental health.

Not many people seem to talk about it.

Yet, from personal experience, I feel that gratitude practice is a solid technique for overcoming stress, anxiety and depression. It certainly helped me.

The thing is, I can see why some people would ignore gratitude, or write it off as some ineffective technique. I understand – if you are in the midst of depression or anxiety and someone tells you to be grateful, then you may want to punch them in the nose. 😡

But there are benefits, and in this article I am going to help you unlock some of them.

What are the health benefits of gratitude practice?

With all this talk about gratitude, what actually are the health benefits?

Practicing gratitude is understood to help reduce anxiety, ease depression, improve heart health, and improve sleep. There are some studies below that confirm some of this, although many more exist.

But talking from personal experience, I can say that practicing gratitude definitely helps ease anxiety.

A few years ago, I went through a bad few months, where my anxiety was very high for a few reasons.

On my quest to ease my anguish, I heard that gratitude practice could help. With nothing to lose and all to gain, I decided to start being grateful.

I did this as follows…

Each night as I was lying in bed, I would simply list 3 to 5 things in my life that I was thankful for. This would change every day, but would often be things like ‘my supportive parents’, ‘having a nice home to live in’, ‘having a career I enjoy’, or even ‘having a nice evening with friends planned tomorrow’.

It was all very impromptu, often very trivial, and I didn’t write anything down… but it worked for me.

I usually felt instantly better as it helped focus my mind on the good stuff in life and not just the bad. This meant that I would usually go to sleep feeling considerably more at ease.

What does the science say?

I always believe that personal experience is the most important thing, although it can be reassuring to have things like this confirmed by science.

And the science says that there are indeed health benefits of gratitude practice.

A 2020 study evaluated the impact of a six-week gratitude intervention for people with moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety, with a low sense of wellbeing.

The results show that practicing gratitude for at least 15 minutes a day for five days a week (for at least six weeks) can improve mental wellness, while potentially promoting a longer-term change in perspective.

Meanwhile, a meta analysis of 70 studies, which involved more than 26,000 people, found a link between higher levels of gratitude and a reduction in depression.

As for gratitude and heart health, a 2021 study found that people who practiced gratitude had lower blood pressure and heart rate.

There are many other studies on the health benefits of gratitude practice, and the vast majority offer positive results.

Good news then!

Easiest way to practice gratitude for health benefits

You can make gratitude practice complex and time consuming, but you can also do it very simply.

Successful gratitude practice starts with simply recognizing what you are grateful for and appreciating it. You can do this throughout the day, or follow what I did:

Take 5-10 minutes every day to simply think about, say out loud, or write down 3 to 5 things that you are grateful for. You can do this while lying in bed before you go to sleep, on waking… or both. Or you could do it while out for an evening walk.

Now, these don’t have to be huge things, just the things you are actually grateful for.

(Of course, if you have just won the lottery or something, you should probably choose that! 😅)

But seriously, even when you are feeling really crappy, you will have something small to be thankful for. Perhaps a supportive friend? A loving family? A home that you feel safe in? Even the ability to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee.

Then bring these things to mind and actually feel grateful for them. When you feel grateful, move onto the next one. Then the next one. After 10 minutes, you will be feeling better, guaranteed.

If you want to be extra effective, you could extend this to 15 minutes, like the study above mentions (and do it five nights a week at least).

Another way: Write a thank you note

While I haven’t actually done this one, I have heard that it can be very effective to write a thank you note to someone who has helped you, given you something, or otherwise done something to warrant thanks – and then deliver it to them.

This could be a handwritten note or a short email.

With this, not only do you get to practice gratitude as you write, but you also get the added benefit of knowing you are making the recipient happy too. Win-win!

The final word on the health benefits of gratitude

There are many things you can do to ease anxiety and depression, but gratitude is up there with the best for me.

It’s just so simple and surprised me at how effective it was. I kept the practice up for quite some time, although in recent months I don’t do it as often. But it’s now another powerful asset in my mental health toolkit!

Do remember that, like many things, you can’t expect it to instantly make you feel amazing. Give it some time – over a few weeks, you will definitely feel better as you practice it.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!