May 28, 2026
By: Lisa Astrologo, PhD, Clinical Psychologist
By the very nature of being a human being, we are prone to thinking in a way that focuses on negative information. This type of bias was evolutionarily helpful for humanity to survive. Furthermore, negative information is posited to hold more data and, by consequence, require more attention and cognitive processing which is why a person’s focus is predisposed to seek out negative information.
Yet, while it is normal and, at times, even helpful, to think from a negative perspective, it can become a habit that can negatively influence day to day functioning and well-being. The way we think will influence the way that we feel, how we act, and the way we feel in our body. A chronic tendency of thinking in this way can significantly impact the way that we perceive our reality, our relationships, and overall well-being.
Nevertheless, although the predisposition to think from a negative perspective exists, it doesn’t mean that the brain can’t be trained to look for positive information too. While this can be done in multiple ways (e.g., mindfulness, cognitive restructuring), the focus of this blog post will be to explore the power of gratitude.
Gratitude is something that we feel in response to an event that is happening in the present moment that makes us feel good and thankful to be experiencing it. Practicing gratitude doesn’t mean we ignore or avoid the less ideal things; it just means we also look for the moments that feel good too. We live in a world of duality that requires balance. Good and bad co-exist together because one cannot exist without the other. With practice, we can choose where we put our attention. Practicing gratitude can also help us to be more present in our day-to-day life, reduce stress, and help us feel better from a psychological perspective.
Gratitude can be layered. It can come from both positive moments and hardships. These moments could look like trying a new food that tastes surprisingly delicious or noticing that you don’t have to set a wake-up alarm tomorrow morning. Gratitude can also come from noticing that you reached a goal that you’ve been trying to achieve for a while which required many sacrifices or noticing that a difficult moment taught you a lesson that you will benefit from for the rest of your life. Gratitude can be complex, but it can be found in most moments if we look hard enough.
How can we practice gratitude?
One of my favorite daily exercises to recommend is the gratitude journal. Each day, you write down 1-3 things that happened in your day that made you feel grateful. They can be as big or as small as you want them to be. A fun personal challenge could be trying to complete a daily gratitude journal for a month without repeating any of the items you listed in the journal from the previous days. Also, don’t hesitate to make this your own. If doing it every day doesn’t work for you, try completing the journal once a week, a few times a week, or even just trying it once, to see what it feels like for you.
Another way to practice gratitude is to write a gratitude letter for someone you are thankful for in your life. Maybe there’s someone that you haven’t had the chance to properly thank—this can be an opportunity to practice gratitude that might help you and another person feel good!
Mindful conversations can be another way of practicing gratitude. Try having a conversation where you focus on a positive event, experience, or moment in your life. Like the gratitude journal, you can do this a few times a week or even daily. These conversations can be as big or small as you want them to be.
Gratitude is a helpful tool that can improve our well-being. Noticing the moments in life that make us feel good and thankful can help us to stay in the present moment and feel more connected to the world around us which can have positive impacts on our well-being. While it might take some practice at first, practicing gratitude can be done in multiple ways, and the moments of gratitude can be as big or small as you want them to be. While we might be prone to thinking in ways that are negative, we can also have a say in where we put our attention, which can feel empowering and anchoring when we are surrounded by so much uncertainty.
For more on gratitude check out Dr Nada Kadhim’s Emotional Validation vs. Gratitude: Are They Incompatible? and Dr Andrea Martin’s What’s The Big Deal About Gratitude?
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