A Research-Based Gratitude Practice for Work

One of the best books I read this year was NYT Bestseller, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by sisters, Emily Nagoski, PhD & Amelia Nagoski, DMA. Not surprisingly, one of the practices they recommend is gratitude...with a research-based twist. They recommend journaling, but not about gratitude for "what you have", rather gratitude for "who you have" or "how things happen". Here is the way they recommend we put it in practice at the end of each day:

1. Give the event or circumstance a title like, "Made it Through that Meeting without Yelling or Crying."
2. Write down what happened, including the details about anyone included and what was said & done.
3. Describe how it made you feel at the time and how you feel about it now, as you think about it.
4. Explain how the event or circumstance came to be. What was the cause? What confluence of circumstances came together to create this moment?

If, they say, as you write, you feel yourself being drawn into negative, critical thoughts and feelings, gently set them aside and return your attention to the thing you're being grateful for. The research asks people to do this for three events every day, but one of the authors, Emily used this practice for just one event per day, three weeks in a row and said this:

"It was great. It trained my brain to notice not just the positive events themselves, but also the personal strengths I leveraged to create them and the external resources that made it possible."

This is some research we can really get behind! If you give it a try, tag us on social media & let us know how it goes for you.