How nurses can practice gratitude to heal & add meaning to life
The COVID-19 pandemic was like a stick of dynamite blowing the lid off of all the ways nurses experience trauma while providing care to patients.
As nurses, we understand this is nothing new and had been occurring long before the pandemic and will, unfortunately, continue long after. With rapid increases in gun violence and other catastrophic mass casualty events, nurses experience secondary trauma at concerning rates as they care for victims and their families.
Repetitive exposure to stressful work environments and a strained workforce are also strong contributors to the traumatic stress nurses endure, often with little time to process, recover, and heal. This puts nurses at extremely high risk for mental health disorders and burnout. For these reasons, healing from trauma needs to be explored and prioritized. One method of healing is through practicing gratitude.
Let’s start with the basics: Gratitude is a strong feeling of appreciation to someone or something for what the person has done to help you and is also a feeling or quality of being grateful. Gratitude is also a conscious, positive emotion expressed when feeling thankful for something that can be tangible or intangible.
Now, practicing gratitude is a mindset of acknowledging the good things in our lives and positive gestures of others toward us, as well as expressing heartfelt appreciation. It also involves making these habits a permanent part of daily life. The health benefits of practicing gratitude are endless and can include:
Healing and resilience from trauma
Fostering high levels of positive emotions
Supporting greater life satisfaction, vitality, and optimism
Improved sleep
Strengthening the immune system
Lowering blood pressure
It was amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that I began my journey to start practicing gratitude. When I found my mind racing with so many unknowns, I became more aware of my tendencies toward negative thought patterns. For nurses, practicing gratitude can be a method of healing from trauma and improving their overall mental health. Extensive neuroscience research has proven the incredible healing effects of gratitude and all the ways it fosters resilience. Practicing gratitude also leads to increased job fulfillment and enhanced meaningfulness of work – all of which significantly impact patient care and outcomes in positive ways.
Work environments that lead with gratitude have a ripple effect that positively permeates an entire organization’s culture. Grateful leaders produce more productive employees, according to a study conducted by The Harvard School of Medicine. Extensive research on gratitude and appreciation demonstrates that when employees feel valued, they have higher rates of job satisfaction, engage in productive relationships, are motivated to do their best, and work towards achieving their employer’s goals.
There are many ways to practice gratitude. Identifying what is meaningful to you and personalizing your attitude of gratitude is individualized. Shifting your mindset takes time and is similar to establishing a habit, so starting small and making incremental changes is the most effective way to begin practicing gratitude
Name three things you are grateful for.
Beginning and ending your day by reflecting on three things you are grateful for is an excellent way to start and end each day in a positive way. It is a perfect way to begin to shift your thinking and can be used while taking a moment to regroup during stressful times or if you find yourself exhibiting negative thought patterns. A few ways to do this is by thinking about things that may have brought you comfort or peace and reflecting on your strengths and positive attributes.
Keep a gratitude journal.
Journaling daily or weekly is a great way to collect your thoughts and become intentional about thinking about things you are grateful for. Setting time aside to reflect on the goodness in your life and writing these things down to be read later are simple yet expressive ways to practice gratitude.
Write a gratitude letter or express gratitude toward another.
Letting people know we are grateful for them benefits us in incredible ways and has lasting effects on not only us but also others. Writing a letter to be shared, writing a heartfelt thank you note, or pulling someone aside and sharing your appreciation are all meaningful ways to express gratitude to others. When we share with others the ways we are grateful for them, we also inspire gratitude in them.
During an incredibly stressful time mid-pandemic, I stumbled on the work of gratitude trailblazer Linda Roszak Burton while listening to a phenomenal and transformational podcast. I decided to begin practicing gratitude as a method of dealing with the extreme stress and trauma I have experienced as a nurse, never expecting all the ways it would benefit so many aspects of my life. I began gratitude journaling and being intentional in expressing gratitude. I now interject gratitude into every moment and each opportunity I can. In times of great stress, I now use gratitude as a source of strength, comfort, and redirection. Practicing gratitude has sparked an incredible difference in my professional and personal life and, more importantly, my health and well-being.