Attitude OF gratitude

When life gets tough, it’s hard to look on the bright side. Yet remembering to be thankful can help to restore your joy (and there’s science to prove it!)

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Phyllisa Deroze is no stranger to the benefits of gratitude in the face of adversity. “When you have diabetes, you’re constantly bombarded with opportunities to feel like a failure, which means you’re always dealing with negative feelings,” she says. Deroze, a global diabetes advocate and academic from Florida, was diagnosed with type 2 eight years ago – about two months after she lost her house and everything she owned in a tornado. She believes “embracing a spirit of gratitude can help you stay grounded and find positivity in a day filled with the opposite”.

It’s that ray of hope that’s made gratitude an anchor in Lauren Bongiorno’s life, too. Living with type 1 diabetes for almost 20 years has affected her mentally as much as physically. Yet through regular yoga practice, she’s learned that it’s healthy to acknowledge and sit with uncomfortable feelings, instead of pushing them away. The trouble occurs when those draining feelings linger.

“I know I need to make a shift, and coming back to gratitude is the fastest way to change your state of mind,” says Bongiorno, a virtual health coach and author of The Diabetic Health Journal.

It’s common sense that giving or receiving thanks can make you feel good. But as they say, the proof is in the pudding. A 2017 research review found that, psychologically, being grateful has been linked with enhanced feelings of vitality, hope, optimism and life satisfaction.

In one study from this review, people who wrote down the things they were grateful for reported fewer symptoms of physical illness, had better-quality sleep and spent more time exercising than those who thought about hassles or daily events.