The important role gratitude plays in our wellbeing

Out of billions of galaxies, trillions of stars and an endless expanse of space, Earth is the only known place where life exists. When you pause to reflect on the cosmic odds, it’s impossible not to feel a profound sense of gratitude for the gift of life and the opportunity to shape your story.

When I was 11 and got my sponsorship from Rip Curl, my ego began to grow. And so did my expectations. After being their top rider for my age group for multiple years, my expectations of their support grew. And the important lesson my dad kept reminding me of began to fade.

I was their top junior, my mindset was, ‘Of course I deserve the most clothes, the newest wetsuits and cool opportunities from my sponsor. I am the highest-rated surfer in this age group they sponsor.’ In hindsight, I was 13 years old and not at all valuable to the brand. But in my mind, I deserved the world.

Pretty much every school holidays, my family would give up their free time to travel with me to my surf events. Each year in the winter school holidays, we would travel to Lennox Head for the Rusty Gromfest, the most prestigious junior event at the time.

For our first two years travelling up the coast, we stayed in the caravan park in a tent. All six of us. The second year we did this, a huge storm almost wiped us out. And all six of us had to relocate and squish into the small two-bedroom apartment my grandparents had rented so they could support me in the surf contest. It was tight, but we all loved being together and making it work.

Appreciation not expectation

On finals day of the event that year, I was walking next to my dad when I spotted another kid, around my age who was also sponsored by Rip Curl. He wasn’t at my level competitively but was wearing a bright neon blue wetsuit, one I thought was reserved only for the top global sponsored riders with Rip Curl. I was so mad. How did this kid, ranked lower than me, get the new wetsuit they hadn’t sent to me?!

I turned to my dad and started complaining.

My dad calmly responded, “Appreciation not expectation, mate. Be grateful that you have anything. Look around at every other kid. You have so much more and are spoiled with so much.’

I pushed back. “Yeah, but I should get more; I’m ranked higher.”

He replied, “No matter where you get in life, you can shine your awareness on what you do have, or what you don’t have. Choose to shine it on what you do have and your life will always be brighter.”

At the time the message didn’t land as he had hoped. But a seed was planted.

Practising gratitude is good for you

I’ve spent countless hours deepening my understanding of gratitude and am so fascinated by the powerful effects of it on our brains, body and life.

Gratitude is more than just a fleeting thought. It’s a practice with measurable effects on our brain and body. Neuroscience has shown that gratitude activates the brain’s reward systems, releasing serotonin and dopamine. These ‘feel-good’ chemicals help to stabilise our mood, improve our focus and foster a sense of contentment.

I loved learning about a study by Wong and colleagues (2018). They had 293 participants split into three categories. One group received psychotherapy (talk therapy) only, one psychotherapy plus a task of expressive writing, and the third group received psychotherapy plus a task of gratitude writing. What the study found was extraordinary.

After four weeks and 12 weeks, participants who wrote gratitude letters reported experiencing significant improvements in mental health, even when those letters weren’t shared. In contrast, the mental health of the other two groups did not differ significantly.

Another study highlighting the impact of gratitude on our wellbeing was undertaken by Emmons and McCullough (2003). In this 10-week study, the authors gathered 201 students who lived a relatively similar life and split them into three groups. One group had to write about everything they were grateful for each week, one group had to write about their burdens/challenges for the week, and the third group had to write about different neutral events/tasks they completed for the week.

The results from the study were profound. Those who wrote the things they were grateful for each week reported improvements in four key areas:

• Physical health. The gratitude group had fewer symptoms of poor health, fewer headaches, body aches and respiratory infections than those in the burden or neutral group.
• Improved sleep. The gratitude group had longer and more restful sleeps, waking up feeling recharged. In contrast, the other two groups reported more disrupted sleeping patterns and restlessness.
• Increased psychological wellbeing. The gratitude group reported more positive emotions and optimism towards life and fewer negative emotions such as fear, envy and resentment, whereas the other groups felt more negative emotions and stress.
• More exercise and health-conscious behaviours. Those in the gratitude groups felt more inclined to exercise and partake in physical activity leading to improved mood and energy levels.

This study indicates so much: that a gratitude practice can have a profound impact on our health and overall wellbeing.

Written by Cooper Chapman (edited extract from The 1% Good Club: The simple way to transform your mental health in just 14 minutes a day).

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