Why Appreciation and Gratitude are Great Stress Relievers

I really hate it when people tell you to just relax and to stop stressing when you are already overwhelmed. If it was as easy as turning off a switch, everyone would do it. It's like telling someone with a broken leg to just walk it off.

As humans, we're wired to feel emotions, and stress is a natural response to perceived threats or challenges. It's not a sign of weakness, but a biological mechanism designed to help us cope.

If you're sitting in a classroom or an auditorium and you're about to give a presentation, chances are you're feeling a little nervous. What if you forget your lines? What if you stumble over your words? What if the audience doesn't seem engaged? These are all valid concerns that can amplify your anxiety.

If you're like me, you may even confide in a friend or colleague about your fears before you go on stage. For some reason talking about it certainly seems to help. But as you go up in front of everyone, the adrenaline starts to kick in. Your heart pounds, your palms get sweaty, and your mind races. You may even feel the need to excuse yourself to go the restroom just to get away from the situation.

Or alternatively, say you had planned to go on a diet or to start working out, but you ended up binge eating and spending the entire day on the couch watching tv. So you put off your goals for the next day. Then the next day comes and you find yourself in the same situation back on the couch. And then you start to think that this is who you are. That you can't change yourself no matter how hard you try.

It's really easy to get stuck in a cycle of negative self-talk. After all, it's natural to assume that these negative thoughts reflect reality when they are the only thoughts you are having.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

There are plenty of ways to manage your stress and overcome negative thought patterns. One of the most effective strategies that I've found is to be more appreciative and grateful. By actively focusing on the good things in your life, no matter how small, you can begin to shift your perspective away from what's going wrong and towards what's going right. This simple practice can retrain your brain to look for the positive, which in turn can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.

You see when you're in a stressful situation, like moments before a presentation, your mind races. You can't shut if off by just telling yourself to stop stressing. But what you can do is redirect your focus to something else, something that can help you calm down and regain control.

And that's where gratitude comes in. By taking a moment to think about what you're thankful for, you're essentially giving your brain a different set of instructions. Instead of focusing on the potential negative outcomes of your presentation, you can shift your attention to the supportive friends who will still love you and talk with you after it's over, or the incredible opportunity you have to share your knowledge with an audience. This mental shift can be incredibly powerful in quieting the anxious thoughts and allowing you to approach the situation with a calmer, more confident mindset.

In my current line of work I'm required to make calls on a daily basis that can be quite stressful. On top of that I have to make these calls while I'm surrounded by my peers who could judge me if I stumble on a word or make a mistake. This adds a whole new layer of pressure to an already difficult situation. But what's been able to help me is that I recall a previous time that I felt this way and was able to overcome it. Occasionally I'll recall a time that I wasn't able to handle the pressure and let it get the best of me, but then I'll remind myself of how far I've come and how much I've grown since then. This helps me to put things into perspective and to realize that I am capable of handling whatever comes my way. After all, I'm still alive so it didn't kill me.

I've also found that in the gym or moments before a race I can feel a similar sense of pressure and anxiety. The crowd is watching, and the stakes feel high. But I've learned to use the same techniques to manage that stress. I remind myself of my training, of the progress I've made, and of the fact that I'm doing this for myself. It's about pushing my limits and growing, not about perfection. Even if I don't perform as well as I want to, I've still come a long way from where I started. And that's what truly matters.

What I like about being appreciative and practicing gratitude more often is that it helps to shift my focus from the negative to the positive. It's like a mental reset button that allows me to appreciate the good things in my life, no matter how small. This simple shift in perspective can make a world of difference in how I experience my day.

I hope this helps!