How Gratitude Can Help Our Mental Wellbeing: Tips and Tricks

Reading the daily news highlights how easy it is for negativity to soak up the spotlight. In a world where we’re quick to focus on the things that are frustrating or challenging us, a gratitude practice can counteract the wave of negative events, circumstances and challenges that are a natural occurrence in each of our daily experiences.

Menopause, while a natural part of ageing, is one such experience that can trigger a large amount of negativity. Bringing a wide range of symptoms to both women’s physical and mental health alike, menopause can make it difficult to focus on anything other than the changes that are a part of each of its moments of transition.

While it’s easy to become overwhelmed by menopause symptoms, focusing on the ‘good’ is one of the most powerful ways to navigate this system. If you’re on the precipice of menopause or already in the midst of this season, building your gratitude muscle is one simple strategy to maintain and protect the quality of your mental health through every season.

New to the practice of gratitude? Here’s a round-up of tips and tricks to bring this powerful practice into focus each and every day.

 

Why is gratitude so important?

Gratitude may sound like a light, ‘fluffy’ term. In reality, scientific research has found that practising gratitude can help reduce stress, improve our moods, and increase our overall happiness levels.

A 2017 study was conducted with participants who were struggling with pre-existing mental health concerns, looking to explore the question of how beneficial gratitude would be for this particular subsect. Close to 300 adults who took part in the study reported, on average, clinically low levels of mental health at its commencement, with the majority of them struggling with issues related to depression and anxiety.

As the study continued, participants who wrote gratitude letters reported significantly better mental health one month and three months after the study ended. This pointed to the reality that gratitude writing is helpful not just for people who already have high or stable levels of mental health, but also for those who are struggling with fluctuating or lower levels of mental health.

This study identified that gratitude’s psychological benefits might include the unshackling from toxic emotions and improvements to mental health even when the gratitude isn’t shared with anyone else. Its benefits may also gradually accrue. The study identified lasting effects on the participants’ brains, with brain activity showing greater sensitivity in the areas associated with learning and decision-making than before the study began.

With an increase in gratitude practises demonstrating potential improvements for our mental and emotional wellbeing, this tool is one you can build into your menopause toolkit.

 

Why is menopause a great time to build your gratitude practice?

Many women may experience dramatic shifts in their sense of self during menopause. This can be disconcerting for some, and debilitating for others, with a range of responses that are dependent on individual circumstances, support networks and access to appropriate treatment methodologies.

With menopause bringing unique challenges such as hormonal changes, mood swings and sleep disturbances, it’s no surprise that this is a highly emotionally turbulent season in a woman’s life. These shifts can make it difficult to maintain a positive outlook, with anxiety and depression increasing in risk for menopausal women.

Practising gratitude can help women journeying through menopause shift their attention towards the positive aspects of their lives. This can help to counteract feelings of stress and anxiety, as well as developing greater emotional resilience and self-awareness.

Gratitude can also help to promote a sense of empowerment and self-worth. By staying grounded in the positives, you can foster a healthier mindset and improve your mental health quality throughout these significant moments of transition.

 

How to incorporate gratitude practices into your routine

You can incorporate a gratitude practice into your everyday routine in a matter of minutes. With a wide range of approaches, experimenting with the gratitude practice that suits you best can be a joyful and rewarding journey.

You can experiment by:

• Keeping a gratitude journal. Dedicate 5-10 minutes each day to write down the things you’re grateful for. You’ll quickly find yourself looking for more positivity in your day, taking note of people, experiences or things you can add to your gratitude journal.

• Setting intentional reminders. If you’re not likely to remember to journal, consider setting a daily or weekly reminder that prompts you to reflect on what you’re grateful for. Phone alarms can be a great way to do this on a rinse-and-repeat schedule!

• Invite others into your gratitude practice. Expressing your gratitude to others gives you a two-for-one effect: not only have you helped to improve your own mental health, but you’re also helping to strengthen a relationship and improve the day of someone you love.

• Look for the small moments. Gratitude isn’t just about major events or milestones. You may find the quiet of your home at 6am regularly makes it onto your list, or the joy of a clean home – it’s the small things that make a world of difference.

 

Further support for your mental health during menopause

Building a strong foundation of mental health support during menopause is crucial to navigating through this season with as much joy and calm as possible. While gratitude is a powerful tool for maintaining and improving mental health during menopause, it’s one of many. Support groups, mindfulness practices and the support of professionals are also integral tools during this season.

Looking to discover more ways to support yourself during menopause? Sign up for our newsletter to receive more insights into the journey ahead at the Australian Menopause Centre.