How Gratitude Can Help With Anxiety
Gratitude, in its most generic definition, refers to a "state of thankfulness" or a "state of being grateful."
We can truly derive the pleasure that we seek elsewhere by sending and receiving simple 'thank you messages to the people who ever brought even a little happiness in our lives.
Whether we say "thank you" to someone or receive it from someone else, the feeling is one of pure satisfaction and encouragement. Gratitude expressions help in the formation and maintenance of long-term relationships, as well as in dealing with difficult situations and rising above them with strength and motivation.
The Scientific Impact of Gratitude on Anxiety:
Here are the most important impacts of gratitude on anxiety:
1. Reduces Depression:
Gratitude significantly reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression in Ireland by reducing stress hormones and managing autonomic nervous system functions. Gratitude is associated with an increase in neural modulation of the prefrontal cortex, the brain site responsible for managing negative emotions such as guilt, shame, and violence.
2. Makes You Feel Happy:
It also activates dopamine, the neurotransmitter that makes you happy. The result is instant happiness, which encourages you to repeat this practice.
People who are grateful have a significant decrease in cortisol, the stress hormone. They have better cardiac function and are less vulnerable to emotional setbacks and negative experiences.
3. Reduces Risk of Repetitive Negative Thinking:
When you encounter a setback, stressor, frustration, or persistent worry, there is a tendency to engage in unhelpful self-talk or repetitive negative thinking (RNT), which has been linked to increasing levels of anxiety. Gratitude helps to protect against RNT. It may also have the potential to lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
When setbacks and frustrations occur, people who are grateful are more likely to show kindness, comprehension, support, and compassion to themselves.
How Gratitude Can Help Our Well Being
Expressing gratitude to others, as well as to oneself, produces positive emotions, most notably happiness. Gratitude affects our overall health and well-being by eliciting feelings of pleasure and contentment. Simple practices such as keeping a gratitude journal, complimenting oneself, or sending small tokens and thank you notes can instantly make us feel better and improve our mood.
Gratitude is not a temporary or a quick relief for stress. Practicing gratitude does not guarantee that we will always be happy. Gratitude asks us to accept our sadness and focus on how to alleviate it. When we write a gratitude journal, we don't expect miracles; instead, we get a closer look at the good things that still exist in life.
5 Gratitude Practices for Coping with Anxiety in Ireland:
There are many practices that you can do to cope with anxiety in Ireland. But these will only work well when they become a daily habit. For example, meditation, gratitude notes, saying thank you to your friends for being a part of your life, making a journal, etc. Begin to notice and Recognise the things for which you are grateful. Pay attention to the small details of your daily life and observe the good things you may take for granted.
Some of these practices you can use to make gratitude a habit in your life include:
1. Meditation and Breath Control:
It's a good idea to begin any gratitude practice with a quick meditation and breath control session. Deep breathing and constant concentration allow the mind to calm down and gather itself. You are more relaxed and connected to yourself, and this is an excellent time to begin your practice.
Find a quiet place and close your eyes. Concentrate on all the good things in your life and begin thanking God. You’ll eventually become a thankful person.
2. Gratitude Notes:
When you've finished your gratitude list, write a small thank you note for each of the people on your list. The notes can be as short as you want, but make sure you put your heart and soul into them. Send the messages in the form of handwritten notes, SMS, or emails. Just make sure your message gets through to them and don't expect any responses.
3. Thank Your Friends and Loved Ones For Being a Part of Your Life:
It goes a long way toward developing gratitude. Call all of your loved ones and express your gratitude for their presence in your life. Tell them how their presence improves and enriches your life. You'll begin to value your relatives and friends more than ever before and realise how fortunate you are to have them in your life.
4. Reminiscence Meditation:
This meditation directly uncovers us to our fortitude – we begin to feel more confident in ourselves and gain the strength to fight stress in the same way we did previously.
Have a seat. Begin recalling a painful memory from your past as you become more relaxed. It could be an illness that you or your loved ones battled, financial difficulties, personal failures, or the pain of losing someone you truly loved
Close your eyes and transport yourself back in time. Think about all of the struggles and hardships you went through at that time
Slowly shift your attention back to the life you are living now.
Think about all of the things you never thought you could get after the painful past interaction Imagine how safe and happy you are now and take a moment to silently celebrate your accomplishments
Keep your eyes closed for a moment before slowly opening them.
5. Keep a Journal:
Keeping a journal in which you write about all the people and things in your life for which you are grateful can make a significant difference in your state of mind.
Here are some pieces of advice on how to set one up and maintain it:
Set aside some time each day (for example, early in the morning or right before bedtime) to journal your gratitude.
Go back through the previous pages. Think about all the good things that have happened to you in the past.
Try to be as detailed as possible when filling out the journal. Keep a record of everything related to the person or event for which you are grateful.
Final Thoughts - When to Seek Professional Help:
We all experience anxiety sometimes. Anxiety can manifest itself in a variety of ways, such as:
Feeling nervous, restless, or tense.
Feelings of impending danger, panic, or doom.
Having difficulty sleeping.
Bereavement.
Having gastrointestinal (GI) issues.
The following are indications that it is time to seek professional help or anxiety therapies:
You think that you worry excessively, which is interfering with your work, relationships, or other things in life.
You are bothered by and unable to control your fear, worry, or anxiety.
Causes sleep disturbances
Isolates you from others
You feel worthless
For further reading on how you can reduce anxiety, continue with our five tips to help reduce anxiety in Ireland.