Give the Gift of Gratitude this Holiday Season
Al Waller: The holiday season is a time of joy and togetherness, but it can also be stressful for many people. Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can bring happiness into our lives and put us at ease. It's the act of focusing on what you have rather than what you lack—and it has many health benefits.
Welcome back to ClearPath – Your Roadmap to Health & Wealth℠. I'm your host, Al Waller. Joining me today is Mihaela Vincze, public health expert, for nonprofit Transamerica Institute®. On today’s episode, we will focus on the power of gratitude and how we can work it into our everyday lives.
Before we get started, I want to remind our listeners that we would love to hear from you and get to know what topics you’d like to hear about. Please drop us a line at [email protected].
Welcome back, Mihaela.
Mihaela Vincze: It’s good to be here, Al.
Al Waller: So, Mihaela, what would you like to begin with?
Mihaela Vincze: Before we jump into gratitude, I want to begin by discussing why our emotional state is so important.
Al Waller: That’s a good starting point. Why should we be concerned about our emotional state?
Mihaela Vincze: Emotions have a profound effect on our health—they can make us healthy, and they can make us sick.
Al Waller: You know, that’s something people often don’t think about. Can you give us some examples of how emotions affect our health?
Mihaela Vincze: Yes, positive emotions like gratitude, appreciation, happiness, and joy can lower the stress hormone, decrease blood pressure, and lead to a longer life. Negative attitudes and feelings, on the other hand, damage the immune system, disrupt our hormone balance and can lead to a decreased lifespan. It's okay to experience negative emotions from time to time, but it's important to find healthy ways to cope with them.
Al Waller: Oh boy, that’s really something for folks to consider… We often get caught up in the negative aspects of life so quickly.
Mihaela Vincze: Not only that, Al, but emotions can also be transmitted from person to person more easily than viruses – and a lot faster! This phenomenon is known as emotional contagion.
Al Waller: At the risk of sounding a little “too good to be true” here, when I was setting my date to launch into retirement, my plan was to function as a sort of Goodwill Ambassador. Basically, when out in public, at stores, or even on the street, if I'm interacting with someone who seemed a little blue or kind of grumpy, I'd try to – subtly – engage them with a small gesture of acknowledgement or words of encouragement. I have to tell you 9 times out of 10 I received an affirmative response, which filled my tank with some serious gratitude.
Mihaela Vincze: That's wonderful, Al. It's really amazing how a small gesture of kindness can make someone's day, and it's great to hear that you've been able to spread positivity and joy to others.
Al Waller: I guess it's a takeoff of the old “paying it forward” philosophy and it does feel great. Now, how does this play a role in gratitude?
Mihaela Vincze: Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston, found that it’s not joy that makes us grateful, but gratitude that makes us joyful. The holiday season can be a stressful time for many people, and practicing gratitude can help alleviate some of that stress. Being grateful can shift our perspective and help us focus on the positive aspects of our lives—and it can spread to others.
Al Waller: So, regardless of our mental state, practicing gratitude can have profound impacts on us and those around us. How does gratitude affect our mental health?
Mihaela Vincze: Gratitude can improve our mental health by decreasing feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress. Something I find fascinating is that practicing gratitude regularly can have lasting effects on your brain, as it can prime your brain to be grateful in the future.
Al Waller: Can you give listeners some ideas for establishing a consistent gratitude practice?
Mihaela Vincze: One way to practice gratitude is by keeping a gratitude journal. Writing down things you're grateful for each day can help you reflect on the positive aspects of your life. If you have a hard time keeping up with this, then perhaps you can have a family member or friend hold you accountable.
Al Waller: I like that idea. It reminds me of something you suggested…keeping a gratitude jar. That's a jar filled with slips of paper of grateful moments that you’ve written down. I still have mine today and I'm still adding to it.
Mihaela Vincze: That’s great, Al. It really helps with accountability. I have a friend who texts her grandmother her gratitude list daily—she picked her grandmother because she was struggling with her mental health— and her grandmother now responds with a gratitude list back. If my friend forgets, her grandmother will still send over a gratitude list—a practice she didn’t really see the purpose in before.
Al Waller: I guess that’s where that emotional contagion concepts comes in.
Mihaela Vincze: Exactly, Al. Another practice you can try out is a gratitude walk. You can do this by focusing on the things around you that you are grateful for, like the beauty of nature or the cute pups you pass by.
Al Waller: You know, that’s a great way to practice both gratitude and get some physical activity in! What else can folks do to establish a gratitude practice?
Mihaela Vincze: Another way to practice gratitude is to do something kind for someone else. One of the easiest ways to snap out of an unhelpful emotion is to do something for someone else. I once heard someone say, “wealth isn’t about how much you make, it’s about how much you give” and it stuck with me. I didn’t interpret this quote as being about money—it was about doing kind acts for others to cultivate gratitude and develop a sense of purpose in our own lives.
Al Waller: And then that may cause a ripple effect and inspire others to do the same. So, what are you grateful for today, Mihaela?
Mihaela Vincze: I'm grateful for my health, my loved ones, and this podcast, of course! How about you, Al?
Al Waller: We're running out of time, but I'll say “ditto” because with everything you just mentioned – having good health, the love of family and friends, as well as the opportunity to be a part of the ClearPath initiative – I think we've covered all the bases.
Thank you again, Mihaela. If you have comments, feedback, or topic ideas, please reach out to [email protected]. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button so that you don’t miss an episode of ClearPath—Your Roadmap to Health & Wealth.
Until the next time, I’m your host Al Waller. Stay safe, be well, and thanks for listening.
ClearPath – Your Roadmap to Health & Wealth is brought to you by Transamerica Institute, a nonprofit private foundation dedicated to identifying, researching, and educating the public about health and wellness, employment, financial literacy, longevity, and retirement.
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ClearPath – Your Roadmap to Health & Wealth is produced by Transamerica Institute with assistance from WYPR.
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