Harnessing Gratitude: Transform Your Well-Being and Mental Health

Send us a text

Can practicing gratitude truly transform your life? Uncover the surprising science behind gratitude and how it can lead to better sleep, reduced stress, and an overall boost in well-being. In today’s episode of Shades of Tone, we explore the powerful role of gratitude in enhancing our mental health and helping us live more authentically. Drawing from personal experiences in the dialysis field, we highlight how appreciating the little things can shift our focus from scarcity to abundance, filling our lives with joy and contentment. 

We also provide practical steps to seamlessly integrate gratitude into your daily routine. From maintaining a gratitude journal to writing heartfelt gratitude letters, and even taking gratitude walks, these exercises can make a significant difference. Learn how small acts of acknowledgment, even during tough times, can keep you grounded and hopeful. By the end of the episode, you'll understand that focusing on the good can indeed make the good get better, enriching your life in meaningful ways. Join us and discover how gratitude can connect you more deeply with your true self and unique journey.

Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! 
Start for FREE

Www.tonemotivates.com

https://youtube.com/@tonemotivates?si=SOd04bWsBxCFTDSA

https://www.instagram.com/tonemotivates?igsh=dG55bGtvZHI0Mmww&utm_source=qr

https://www.instagram.com/shadesoftone_podcast?igsh=ZDRtazR

Support the show

As Always, Always Love!

https://www.tonemotivates.com

https://www.tonemotivates.com/podcast

https://www.tonemotivates.com/Blog

Mind Mazes Prompted Journal:

https://a.co/d/bcCfJO6

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Well, hello my beautiful people.
How are we doing today?
Welcome to another episode ofShades of Tone, and today we're
going to chat about the role ofgratitude in enhancing
well-being and authenticity.
So y'all always know, I got tostart off with a quote and I

(00:24):
love this quote by an anonymousperson that basically says
gratitude turns what we haveinto enough.
So gratitude is not just forThanksgiving.
I once tried to keep a gratitudejournal and by day three I was
grateful for tea, my books andthe fact that it was a Friday.

(00:45):
Clearly I wasn't getting thefull picture.
But seriously, gratitude isn'tjust something we pull out of
our pockets on Thanksgiving.
It's a powerful tool that canboost our well-being and help us
live more authentically everysingle day.
So have you noticed just howappreciating the little things

(01:07):
can completely change our mood?
What if I told you thatpracticing gratitude could do
more than just lift your spirits?
Now, what is gratitude, you ask?
Gratitude is like hitting thepause button on life to
appreciate what's already good,Like that first sip of your fave
morning drink or the fact thatyour socks match, Because we all

(01:27):
know sometimes we don't gottime to be checking for socks.
Look, I'm here and that's allthat matters Don't even look at
me.
So I always found myselffeeling extremely grateful after
leaving my job in the dialysisfield.
I was grateful for my health,my mobility, my freedom and the
ability to help others not sofortunate.
Daily.
Although I was extremelyempathetic, helping my patients,

(01:51):
rendering my service to thembrought me joy in that moment.
Gratitude isn't just about thebig stuff.
It's about those everydaymoments that often go unnoticed
but can make all the difference.
Let's chat about the science ofgratitude and why it works.
Think of gratitude as yourbrain's personal cheerleader.

(02:15):
Every time you focus onsomething positive, it's like
giving your brain a high five.
Dab, dab, dab.
When you practice gratitude,your brain releases feel-good
chemicals like dopamine andserotonin.
It's like your brain's way ofsaying, hey, life's not so bad
after all.
I mean, we are here right?
There's actually researchshowing that people who practice

(02:38):
gratitude are happier, lessstressed and even sleep better.
Who knew that counting yourblessings could be more
effective than counting sheep?
Okay, so let's move on togratitude and well-being.
How it makes you feel goodbeing hyper-independent.
I often found myself completinga task or accomplishing a goal

(03:00):
and immediately thinking what'snext?
What do I got to do next?
What's up by doing this.
I was not aware of my growth.
Once I noticed and began tomake myself take a pause,
celebrate a little or at leasttake a small break, I became
more grateful and allowed myselfto appreciate the moment and my
wins, big or small, more often.

(03:21):
I then noticed a shift.
I was more content, lessanxious and more present.
Gratitude shifts your focus fromwhat's lacking to what's
abundant.
It's like switching from a halfglass empty to a glass half
full mindset.

(03:42):
Suddenly, the world just feelsa little brighter.
So here are a few ways topractice gratitude you can write
thank you notes to yourself orstart a gratitude jar where you
collect moments of joy,Gratitude and authenticity,

(04:02):
being your true self.
Now you know, I love thisbecause my motto is live in your
truth, baby, Whatever yourtruth is, live in it, bask in it
, soak in it.
Nobody going to be able to doit like you.
Now.
Gratitude helps you connect withyour true self.
When you're grateful, you'remore in tune with what really
matters to you, not what societysays should matter.

(04:23):
Now we all know a celebritythey got all the money and all
the fame in the world andmiserable and just not happy,
just depressed, sad, becausemoney cannot bring you joy.
Now, in the words of Kanye West, having money is not everything
, not having it is, and that istotally relevant to people
that's in poverty and struggleday to day just with the bare

(04:46):
necessities such as food,shelter and clothing.
But A lot of the times we get alittle carried away with what
it is that we need or what isconsidered happiness for
ourselves.
Gratitude basically helps youappreciate your unique journey,

(05:10):
quirks and all.
I once found myself gratefulfor a job I didn't love, because
it helped me realize what Itruly wanted in my career.
I couldn't be authentic outsideof my work and my
entrepreneurial life because ofmy worries of what my job would
think or ramifications ofsomething against my career's
policy or procedures.
When you're grateful for whoyou are and what you have,

(05:34):
you're more likely to liveauthentically Without the
pressure to conform to others'expectations.
Here are a few practicalgratitude exercises.
Exercise one the gratitudejournal.
Now, you know I love a goodjournal, so I stopped trying to
write epic lists and focused onone or two meaningful things
every day, Like the way themorning sun hit my window just

(05:57):
right, Except for when I wastired.
But let me stop, I digress.
I encourage you to write downone thing you're grateful for
each day, no matter how small.
It's not about quantity, butquality.
Sometimes the simplest thingsbring the most joy.
Exercise two Gratitude letters.
Try writing a heartfelt letterto someone you're grateful for.

(06:20):
Don't worry about whether yousend it or not.
Writing it down helps youappreciate the people who make
your life better, even if it'sjust your furry friend who
listens to all your rantswithout judgment.
I once wrote letters to myself5, 10, and 15 years ahead of the
future, showing gratitude forwhat I am grateful for in my
past that made me who I am today.
Exercise three gratitude walk.

(06:44):
I love these.
You can try taking a gratitudewalk where you notice and
appreciate things along the way.
It could be the smell of thefreshly cut grass, the sound of
birds chirping, or just the factthat you're outside and not
stuck in a zone meeting.
A simple walk helped me noticethings I usually overlooked,
deepening my sense of gratitude.

(07:05):
I even decided to put mywalking to a good cause and
donate and participate in thewalk to end lupus yearly.
Let's integrate gratitude intodaily life Now.
Making gratitude a habit cantransform your outlook on life.
It's not just about big moments.

(07:26):
It's about making gratitude adaily practice, like brushing
your teeth or scrolling throughyour favorite social media feed
when I was going through a roughpatch.
Focuses on small things I wasgrateful for, kept me grounded
and hopeful.
A few more suggestions youcould try is to set daily
gratitude reminders like stickynotes around the house or a

(07:48):
gratitude alarm on your phone.
Imagine your phone buzzing witha reminder that says hey, don't
forget how awesome your morningcoffee or tea was today.
Reminder that says hey, don'tforget how awesome your morning
coffee or tea was today.

(08:08):
So, in conclusion, gratitude isa path to a happier, more
authentic life.
So motives.
The next time you're about tocomplain about that long line at
the supermarket or traffic onthe highway, Take a moment to be
grateful for the fact that youcan afford groceries and you
have personal transportation.
Motivational note Gratitude ismore than just a feel-good

(08:31):
practice.
It's a powerful tool forenhancing your well-being and
living a life that's true to whoyou are.
For my final thought startsmall, stay consistent and watch
how your world changes, Becausewhen you focus on the good, the

(08:55):
good gets better, and so doesyour life.
As always, always love.