I Say a Little Prayer… The Benefits of a Daily Gratitude Practice

Do you have a daily gratitude practice?

If that question made you cringe, I get it. But bear with me.

Scientists have learned that, far from being the latest fuzzy, hippy dippy practice, recognising and acknowledging what you’re grateful for can, over time, create profound changes in the brain:

It reduces cortisol and activity in the amygdala, lowering stress and promoting calm.

It boosts serotonin and dopamine production. These neurotransmitters are responsible for improving mood and promoting a sense of pleasure and achievement.

A regular practice of gratitude can strengthen neural pathways in the brain for positive thinking, helping move away from anxious, depressive or negative thinking.

In my hypnotherapy practice, I often begin sessions by asking clients what’s been good that week. I encourage them to make some note of the good things every day, thus developing a practice that will rewire the brain for the benefits above. I don’t call it ‘gratitude’ but it’s pretty much the same thing.

I wanted to share what my own gratitude practice looks like just to show you that there are different ways of noticing and really appreciating what’s already going well in your life.

Believe it or not, I’ve practised gratitude in the same way I do now every day since I was a wee girl - 8 years old to be exact.

At that age, I went to Sunday school and, although the religious teachings never resonated with me, something obviously took hold as I started to say a wee prayer at bedtime every night. The main reason I did this was to ask ‘God’ (or whoever I was praying to) to look after my family and the people I loved. But, being raised to be polite, I always remembered to say thank you for all the gifts I was blessed with.

While this was, admittedly, a bit of a superstitious practice originally, mainly about keeping my family safe, it’s something I always stuck to. Although I wasn’t praying to the Christian God we learned about at Sunday school, I always believed in my childish way that, if you send out good thoughts in this way it will have a positive impact. Now I understand how that works.

This is still how I practice gratitude every night. This is how I make a mental note of what’s been good. I now do it with more awareness of the benefits it’s having on my mindset over time, and also how it positively impacts my sleep. By focusing on what’s good right before I fall asleep, I’m more likely to get to sleep quickly and calmly.

I start by recognising what’s good right now: I’m comfy in my bed, my husband’s beside me - and Buddy usually! The kids are safe in their beds downstairs, I’ve just been reading an enjoyable book…

Then I focus on what’s been good that day. The little things I might’ve forgotten, and the rarer big, exciting things of course.

I then extend it further out, to include the broader aspects of my life: my home, my wider family, my health etc.

To be honest, I don’t usually get very far before I drift off, but what a lovely way to fall asleep.

This is what works for me. It’s what’s always worked for me. I have the benefit of truly understanding how it helps me now, and I’ll never change it.

Think about how you might bring a gratitude practice into your daily life. Try it consistently for a few weeks and notice the difference to your mindset and mood.