Carolyn Hansen: Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big ones

Toxic thoughts and emotions such as envy, lack, hate, resentment are the real enemies when it comes to our overall health. Photo / 123rf

The feeling of gratitude is both empowering and powerful, and most of us have a basic "instinctive understanding" of what gratitude is because we have been on both sides – the giver and receiver of this power. It is often called the "great attitude" because of its ability to bond and fortify all types of relationships, family, friends, business, and romantic partners included.

But is gratitude an emotion, a behaviour, a virtue? Although scientific research and studies into this fascinating topic are relatively new, they are helping to answer many of these questions. Just over the past few decades, incredible strides in science and research have been made towards "understanding the biological roots of gratitude, the various benefits that accompany it and the ways that people can cultivate feelings of gratitude in their day-to-day lives".

One such study - conducted by Joshua Brown PhD, professor of psychological and brain, and Joel Wong PhD, associate professor of counselling and psychology, both of Indiana University - involved about 300 participants, mostly college students who were actively seeking mental health help/counselling through their college/university because of depression, anxiety, or both.

Participants were divided into three groups, each one receiving the same counselling, with slight differences.
First group – These students each chose one person to write a letter of gratitude to consecutively for three weeks straight.

Second group – These participants were directed to write down their "deepest thoughts and feelings" about negative situations/experiences for the same three weeks.

Third group – This group had no writing activity at all.

Eliminating negative thoughts, emotions, and words from our mental and emotional arsenal, eliminates their negative effects in our lives Photo / 123rf

The results were not altogether surprising. Those who consciously focused on and wrote gratitude letters each week for three weeks enjoyed significantly better mental health compared with participants instructed to focus and write down their deepest thoughts and feelings about negative situations and experiences.
Furthermore, although they wrote for only three weeks, the positive effects felt by those writing "gratitude letters" extended four to 12 weeks beyond the end of the writing exercise!

These studies also revealed a few powerful insights behind the psychological benefits of living "the attitude of gratitude" and the mental health experienced by these gratitude letter writers.

When analysed, the words used by both writing groups revealed some interesting results beyond the obvious. Although those in the group writing "gratitude letters" used a higher percentage of words with positive connotations as well as "we words" and fewer negatively charged emotion words than participants in the negatively focused writing group, this alone did not necessarily lead to better mental health later. What the study did suggest is those benefiting the most from better ongoing mental health were those who wrote, focused on, and used fewer negative emotion words in their letters.

So, it was not the abundance of positive words that explained the mental health gap between the two writing groups, but the lack of negative emotion words that held the most power.

How does this info apply to our own mental health? Toxic thoughts and emotions such as envy, lack, hate, resentment and all their "clamouring cousins" are the real enemies when it comes to our overall health and yet we constantly empower them when we put our mental and emotional focus behind them.

Moral of the story: eliminating negative thoughts, emotions, and words from our mental and emotional arsenal, eliminates their negative effects in our lives.

Another interesting fact confirmed was that the mental health benefits enjoyed by those writing gratitude letters was not entirely contingent on communicating that gratitude to the recipient. Both groups of writers, those who sent their letters to recipients and those who only wrote gratitude letters but did not send them enjoyed the same mental health benefits.

It seems we can benefit from writing gratitude letters to others solely as a mental and emotional exercise for our eyes and our hearts without ever having to send them! If writing letters to others is not your thing, then write one to yourself. Gratitude journaling for oneself, especially at the end of the day, is not only just as powerful, but a great way to review the wonderful little things that happen during the day that we either overlook or take for granted. When was the last time any of us consciously gave thanks for fresh air, sunshine, and our very own heartbeat?

The "raw" truth is that too much mental time is spent chasing future dreams or lamenting about lost ones of the past. Gratitude is the attitude that anchors us in the present moment where we can consciously appreciate all the people and gifts that life continues to shower us with.

According to Zig Ziglar, "gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you already have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for." This is the act of counting and multiplying our blessings.

Remember – all our thoughts and emotions travel through our atomic structure first. We cannot escape their effects. We are the first to receive and feel the intensity of whatever frequency we give out.

Express gratitude freely and often. It is the frequency when focused on that fills our cells with love and multiplies our blessings, including health, happiness, and joy of living. It is the one currency we can spend without fear of bankruptcy.
Carolyn Hansen is co-owner Anytime Fitness