{"id":98727,"date":"2023-04-24T01:59:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T06:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=98727"},"modified":"2023-04-21T14:07:13","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T19:07:13","slug":"take-care-practicing-gratitude-through-journaling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2023\/04\/24\/take-care-practicing-gratitude-through-journaling\/","title":{"rendered":"Take Care: Practicing gratitude through journaling\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cTake Care\u201d is a series of wellness-themed educational articles that run occasionally in UNMC Today. The articles are intended to remind us of the need to make self-care a priority.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When is the last time you wrote down things you are grateful for? Never, I bet, for many of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But have you heard about the positive effects for your brain to keeping a gratitude journal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Emmons, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis, is considered the leading authority on gratitude. He has done considerable research on the positive health effects of keeping a gratitude journal.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his research, he\u2019s discovered that those who make a regular practice of thinking about things they are grateful for are happier and more tolerant to stress. Gratitude journaling helps us focus on the current moment, which sounds a lot like mindfulness to me \u2013 another important piece of the wellness puzzle. It also helps counter negative emotions, such as envy and resentment. It can even lead to positive physical health benefits that include lower blood pressure and a more effective immune system.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can you get started? I suggest you get a journal you can use just for this purpose. Once or twice a week, sit down with your journal and write three to five things that you are grateful for. I challenge myself not to repeat the same items when I do this; that way it makes my brain\u00a0look for positive new things that have happened to me, which is the point after all.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A tip: try to be as specific as you can. As an example, Dr. Emmons wrote in one of his books that instead of just expressing gratitude for his wife\u2019s support, he wrote that his wife had made him about 2,400 lunches in their 17-year marriage. That\u2019s specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I personally do my gratitude journalling once a week on the weekend. I look back over the week and identify at least three\u00a0things that happened in that past week that I am grateful for. I\u2019ll be honest \u2013 some weeks it\u2019s harder than others, even though I do feel I am richly blessed in so many ways. But like all human beings, I can get caught up in the negatives of life. In fact, one neuroscientist put it this way: The human brain is like Velcro for negative events and Teflon for positive events. I can relate to that.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But taking a few minutes to look for the positives helps. I highly recommend it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nMaCxSQ<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taking time to write down things to be grateful for can make people happier, more tolerant to stress and healthier. 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