Gratitude is defined as feeling thankful for the good things in your life.
Intentionally expressing gratitude is associated with a number of mental, spiritual and physical benefits. Numerous studies have shown that practicing gratitude will improve quality of sleep, mood and our immune system. Gratitude also decreases depression, anxiety, chronic pain and risk of diseases that affect quality of life.
If a pill that could give all these benefits it would be crazy expensive and everyone would be taking it.
The negative screams in us but the positive only whispers.
- Barbara Frederickson
Randomized clinical research showed that health care providers who practiced “Three Good Things” for two weeks experienced significantly reduced burnout and depressive symptoms, and improved work-life balance and happiness. More importantly, these effects were still present a year later.
We have a natural inclination to remember negative events, which is great for our survival, but not for our happiness. When we encounter a negative event our survival instincts kick in. For example, if you’ve managed to survive an encounter in a bear cave, you don’t want to forget that event. You’ve learned a powerful, negatively reinforced lesson: “Avoid bear caves.”
How does this work in the modern world? You might receive ten positive sentiments about your work, and one negative one. Guess which one you’ll most likely remember? The negative one. Psychologists refer to this as negativity bias. We tend to remember negative events and dismiss positive ones. This bias becomes even more prominent when we experience symptoms of burnout.
Practices like the “Three Good Things” counteract the negativity bias. This exercise primes us to look for the good parts of each day. If we know we have to record or tell someone about the positive experiences in our lives, we tend to take in and recognize things that we might otherwise miss. Ready to practice?
Tips for practicing Three Good Things
We don’t practice “Three Good Things” to dismiss or negate hard experiences through toxic positivity. We use it to acknowledge and care for our hard feelings, and to recognize the good that is present.
For maximum effect, try this exercise right before you go to bed. The thoughts we review in the hours before sleep stay in our memories longer. Some research reveals that recognizing things we are grateful for helps us relax and sleep better.
This exercise also helps us decompress and transition from one role to the next. For example, reflect on your workday. Think about what went well, and what you contributed. These memories can give you a sense of satisfaction and allow you to release and focus on the next important task.
Feeling negative? That’s okay. If you end up focusing on negative things, acknowledge those experiences. Then, refocus your thoughts on the good memories. If you miss a day, it’s not a big deal—just start again tomorrow.
Enroll at bit.ly/start3gt
https://accelerate.uofuhealth.utah.edu/explore/how-to-practice-three-good-things#:~:text=Ready%20to%20practice%3F,Psychology%20Professor%20%26%20Positive%20Psychology%20Scholar.
