by Rossana Gorys, MBA, Transformational Leader
July 16, 2023
We’ve heard it before time and time again, but I’m going to tell you once more – the power of gratitude is real and it can also have an impact on reducing stress while promoting your overall emotional well-being. When practicing gratitude, we focus on the positive aspects of our life; we acknowledge all the good things that we have, and all the people in our circle. Gratitude simply means counting our blessings and acknowledging and noticing those simple pleasures in our life. So, how does it help with your stress?
1. Shifts focus: Instead of putting our attention on negative thoughts (stressors), gratitude helps to redirect our focus on those positive aspects of our lives. Instead of thinking about all the things we are lacking, we can now focus on appreciating what we do have.
2. Positive emotions: When we express gratitude, neurotransmitters similar to dopamine and serotonin are released which are associated with feelings of happiness and emotional well-being.
3. Seeing the bigger picture: when we are grateful, we can see the bigger picture and it can help us to become resilient to our current situation. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from current challenges. By looking beyond, we can find positive aspects and overcome the difficult situations.
4. Relationships: when we are grateful for the people in our lives, our relationships become stronger.
5. Self-care: by practicing gratitude, we are actually encouraging mindful practices which in turn is a form of self-care. Mindfulness allows us to be present in the moment and appreciate all the positive experiences in our lives.
6. Coping mechanism: when we are facing challenging situations, pivoting our thoughts to appreciate the positive aspects of our lives, helps us to avoid stress. Most likely, we are stressed when we dwell on what is lacking in our lives, are not resilient, feel alone, do not practice self-care, and possess a negative mindset. You have the power to change all that!
We don’t practice gratitude only when we receive, we practice gratitude even during unpleasant situations where we find the opportunities to be grateful.
Here are some ways that we can incorporate gratitude in our daily life:
1. Journal: set aside a few minutes each day to list three, five, even ten things that you are grateful for in your own personal journal notebook. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Simple things like that great cup of coffee, the trees, and your morning walk can be included on your list. When we reflect on everything wonderful in our life, we shift our focus towards gratitude and a positive mindset.
2. Be appreciative to others: when we express our gratitude to those around us, we strengthen our relationship with them. Writing a note, sending an email, or a quick text will put a smile on someone else’s face and ours too.
3. Meditate: engage in a morning and evening gratitude meditation. Even ten minutes is better than nothing. Be mindful and focus on the present moment to help encourage gratitude.
4. Find gratitude in challenges: there are lessons to be learned with all situations, even challenging ones. Look for something to be grateful for, even if it’s the lesson that we learned. These are opportunities for personal growth.
5. Count your blessings: we spend most of our time lamenting about our troubles and complaining about all our difficulties. When we do this, we forget about all the good that exists in our life. Instead of focusing on the negative, let’s look at what we have been blessed with.
The way we think has a great impact on our life and in particular, on our stress. We will always encounter stress, so why not change our mindset about it so that it doesn’t affect our physical and emotional health in a harmful way.
We don’t practice gratitude only when we receive, we practice gratitude even during unpleasant situations where we find the opportunities to be grateful. Gratitude is that powerful action where we can turn negative things into beautiful things. It allows us to accept what is going on in our lives and provides us with the strength to carry on and with the hope for positive outcomes.
I challenge you to take the first step and practice gratitude.
Blessings and gratitude,
Rossana (Balanced Path)
Rossana is passionate about guiding people on their journey to self-actualization. Rossana’s extensive experience as a senior leader, a successful businesswoman, and a proud mother has allowed her to harness her skills and insights for the benefit of clients. Having gone through her own lows and highs, trials and triumphs, Rossana has gained a depth of understanding about life’s many challenges, and has mastered the ability to navigate the different phases and experiences of life, while always maintaining a focus on being healthy, successful, and happy.
She believes that every problem has an inherent seed of opportunity embedded within it, and that you can discover a path forward and implement a positive, healthy solution by tapping into the available abundance of good health, wealth, spirituality, and nurturing relationships. Resilience is a product of your ability to effectively face unexpected obstacles and skillfully overcome serious challenges, whether these are personal or professional.
Through the past several years, Rossana has leveraged her training, education, personal growth, and leadership experience to guide others to find their paths to well-being and success. This mission of helping others has led to the opening of Balanced Path and the Institute of Healing Practices. Rossana uses her knowledge and expertise to guide clients to gain new perspectives, realize their full potential, and align their actions with their life purpose.
Whether you are interested in business coaching, need guidance in finding your life’s purpose, looking at building a successful working team, or are interested in becoming a certified Reiki Master, Rossana is ready to help you. Rossana invites you to join her today on a wellness journey. She will guide you to become clear and focused about what excites you, how to work through any emotional blockages that act as barriers to your success, and helps develop the plan of action needed to reach your goals. Through her authentic personality and empathetic character, Rossana is able to connect with others.
Rosanna's website: https://www.balancedpath.ca
