‘Weightlifting for your brain’: how a gratitude practice can lift your mood, lower stress and anxiety, cultivate resilience – and boost heart health

The article titled 'Weightlifting for your brain': how a gratitude practice can lift your mood, lower stress and anxiety, cultivate resilience – and boost heart health, discusses the concept of gratitude as a new alternative to the usual New Year's resolutions of eating healthier and exercising more. The practice of gratitude, which is essentially free and easy to start, holds great promise for improving our well-being. The article provides guidance on how to take the first step and leverage the power of gratitude in 2024.

Anthony Rella, a mental health counsellor in the US state of Washington, explains that we are psychologically hard-wired to pay attention to problems and concerns. During times of stress or hardship, we tend to fixate on negativity. However, Rella suggests that gratitude can act as a 'weightlifting for your brain', forcing the brain to slow down and bring more balance to our perception of the world.

Lily Gordon, a licensed mental health counsellor associate at Self Space Seattle, in Washington, elaborates on the benefits of gratitude. She states that it can improve our moods, provide relief from stress and anxiety, help cultivate resilience, and improve our relationships. A 2021 meta-analysis of 62 studies published in the International Journal of Depression and Anxiety found a robust connection between higher levels of gratitude and lower levels of depression. Furthermore, a 2017 pilot study introduced gratitude journaling to patients dealing with heart failure, and those who participated in the practice showed improved biomarkers related to inflammation and variable heart rate, indicating better heart health.