Gratitude Practice: A Simple Habit With Big Health Benefits

When the world shut down in 2020, I—like so many others—was searching for a way to stay grounded. For women physicians, the stakes were especially high. We were facing relentless demands at work, caring for patients without clear answers, all while worrying we might carry the virus home to our families. The stress was unrelenting, and many of us felt like we were breaking under the weight of being both healers and protectors.

In the middle of that storm, I began posting daily gratitude reflections in the Empowered Women Physicians Facebook group. What started as a personal lifeline soon became a shared ritual. Gratitude gave us something solid to hold onto—moments of light in the middle of fear and exhaustion.

Later that year, I joined a retreat with this same group of women. On the first day, I led a simple gratitude circle. What unfolded was unforgettable. Women opened their hearts, shared the stories they had been carrying, cried tears they hadn’t allowed themselves to shed, and laughed like they hadn’t in months. In that circle, walls came down. We weren’t just physicians under pressure—we were human beings, connected by gratitude. That practice set the tone for the entire week. It showed me firsthand what research has since confirmed: gratitude not only strengthens individual resilience, it transforms communities by deepening bonds and fostering collective healing [10,11].

That retreat planted the seed for what eventually became the 30% Formula™, my framework for living your dream today—and for as long as possible. Since then, every gratitude circle I’ve hosted has started with one simple truth: in the moment of gratitude, you cannot also feel anger, despair, or fear. Science backs this up, showing that gratitude can reduce depression and anxiety, improve cardiovascular outcomes, and even support longevity [1–11].

What Gratitude Practice Looks Like

Gratitude practice isn’t about pretending everything is perfect. Toxic positivity it is not! It’s about intentionally shifting attention to what sustains us, even when life feels overwhelming.

Habits of gratitude include:

• Gratitude journaling – writing down 3–5 things you’re thankful for each day.
• Reflection – pausing at night to recall one good moment from the day.
• Expressing appreciation – telling someone you value them, or writing a thank-you note.

Clinical studies typically run 2–8 weeks, with participants practicing gratitude daily or several times a week. The results are remarkably consistent: better mental health, stronger relationships, and measurable improvements in physical health [1,2].

Psychological Benefits: Resilience in Hard Times

The strongest evidence is in psychological well-being. Gratitude has been shown to:

• Increase happiness, life satisfaction, and resilience [1–4].
• Reduce depressive symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress [1,3,4].

A large meta-analysis published in 2025 found that gratitude interventions consistently produced small but reliable boosts in well-being across cultures, showing its benefits are not limited by geography or culture [3].

During the pandemic, daily gratitude diaries helped people feel less lonely and more grounded—even while facing isolation and uncertainty [4]. This mirrors what I experienced with my own community: gratitude became a stabilizing force when everything else felt uncertain.

Gratitude and Sleep

Stress and racing thoughts are common barriers to sleep. Gratitude appears to help quiet the mind, easing the body into parasympathetic “rest and digest” mode.

Studies show that gratitude practices are linked to:

• Better sleep quality [5,6].
• Longer sleep duration [6].
• Less rumination before bed [5].

For physicians and caregivers during COVID-19, this mattered deeply. Sleep wasn’t just rest—it was recovery. Gratitude became a way to reclaim that.

Heart Health and the Mind–Body Connection

The American Heart Association highlights gratitude as a psychological factor with strong evidence for cardiovascular benefits [5]. Research shows that gratitude is associated with:

• Lower blood pressure [5,7].
• Improved heart rate variability, a marker of parasympathetic activity [6,7].
• Lower levels of inflammation (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6) [8].
• Healthier cholesterol and lipid profiles [5,7].

In patients with cardiovascular disease, gratitude interventions not only improved mood but also boosted medication adherence—a key predictor of survival [7].

Physical Health and Longevity

Beyond mental health and heart health, gratitude is tied to healthier behaviors and self-perceptions:

• Grateful adults report better overall physical health [9].
• They engage more often in exercise and healthy eating [6,9].
• They experience fewer physical complaints [9].

Even more compelling, a study of older U.S. women found that higher baseline gratitude predicted lower risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality over time [10].

Gratitude and Social Connection

What I experienced at that retreat—a group transformed by gratitude—is supported by decades of research. Gratitude strengthens relationships, increases prosocial behavior, and enhances social support [10,11].

Social connection is one of the strongest predictors of long-term health. By deepening bonds and building community, gratitude provides not just comfort, but resilience and protection against stress-related disease [11].

Gratitude as Parasympathetic Living

Parasympathetic living is about shifting the body away from chronic stress into balance. Gratitude is a powerful tool for that shift:

• Physiological: lowers blood pressure, improves HRV, reduces inflammation [5–8].
• Psychological: decreases rumination, depression, and anxiety [1–4].
• Social: fosters stronger support networks and purpose [10,11].

This is why I return to gratitude again and again—it’s simple, free, and profoundly effective.

How to Begin

Gratitude doesn’t require a special journal or app. The key is consistency.

Try:

1. Three Good Things: Write three gratitudes before bed.
2. Morning Gratitude Cue: Begin the day with one thought of appreciation.
3. Gratitude Letter: Write and send a thank-you note.
4. Gratitude + Breathwork: Pair reflection with five deep breaths.
5. Family Ritual: Share “one good thing” at dinner or bedtime.

Reflection

My gratitude practice began during one of the hardest chapters of my life—as a physician, a mother, and a woman trying to hold it all together during COVID. It grew into a shared ritual, blossomed into a retreat circle, and became the foundation for the 30% Formula™.

Gratitude taught me this: in the exact moment you feel grateful, you cannot also feel despair. That’s not just philosophy—it’s neuroscience, it’s physiology, and it’s survival.

Practiced consistently, gratitude is more than an emotion. It’s a recalibration—a way of bringing body, mind, and community back into balance.

References

1. Cunha, L. F., Pellanda, L. C., & Reppold, C. T. (2019). Positive psychology and gratitude interventions: A randomized clinical trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 584. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00584
2. Tolcher, K., Cauble, M., & Downs, A. (2024). Evaluating the effects of gratitude interventions on college student well-being. Journal of American College Health, 72(5), 1321–1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2076096
3. Choi, H., Cha, Y., McCullough, M. E., Coles, N. A., & Oishi, S. (2025). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of gratitude interventions on well-being across cultures. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(28), e2425193122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2425193122
4. Jiang, D. (2022). Feeling gratitude is associated with better well-being across the life span: A daily diary study during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B, 77(4), e36–e45. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa220
5. Levine, G. N., Cohen, B. E., Commodore-Mensah, Y., et al. (2021). Psychological health, well-being, and the mind-heart-body connection: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 143(10), e763–e783. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000947
6. Newman, D. B., Gordon, A. M., & Mendes, W. B. (2021). Comparing daily physiological and psychological benefits of gratitude and optimism using a digital platform. Emotion, 21(7), 1357–1365. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001025
7. Wang, X., & Song, C. (2023). The impact of gratitude interventions on patients with cardiovascular disease: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1243598. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1243598
8. Hazlett, L. I., Moieni, M., Irwin, M. R., et al. (2021). Exploring neural mechanisms of the health benefits of gratitude in women: A randomized controlled trial. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 95, 444–453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2021.04.019
9. Hill, P. L., Allemand, M., & Roberts, B. W. (2013). Examining the pathways between gratitude and self-rated physical health across adulthood. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(1), 92–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.08.011
10. Chen, Y., Okereke, O. I., Kim, E. S., et al. (2024). Gratitude and mortality among older US female nurses. JAMA Psychiatry, 81(10), 1030–1038. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.1687
11. Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(7), 890–905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005