Managing Your Anxiety by Harvard Business Review

Author:Harvard Business Review
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Published: 2023-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

7

Use Gratitude to Counter Stress and Uncertainty

By Christopher Littlefield

Living in a constant state of uncertainty—a pandemic, a looming recession, or layoffs—can feel like running a race with no finish line or completing a puzzle without a reference picture. Everything seems unclear, and the worst seems possible.

Of course, this not a fun state of mind to be in. So what can we possibly do to help minimize the impacts of uncertainty on our well-being? While it may not address the root cause, research shows that gratitude can help balance us out.1

Why is gratitude important?

“Gratitude is an emotion that grounds us and is a great way to balance out the negative mindset that uncertainty engenders,” said Dr. Guy Winch, author of the book Emotional First Aid. When we express gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin—two hormones that make us feel lighter and happier inside.

We experience gratitude when we shift our focus from what we don’t have to what we do, and when we take time to appreciate and be thankful for those who have contributed to the abundance in our lives. Nearly a decade of research by Dr. Robert Emmons—the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude—and others has found that people who have regular gratitude practices are healthier, are happier, and have better relationships. Further research suggests that gratitude is also key in helping individuals and teams persevere in challenging tasks.

Think of your mind like your digestive system—what you put in it impacts how you feel. When you flood your mind with a constant flow of worry, envy, resentment, and self-criticism (compounded by a barrage of news and other media) it negatively impacts your mental well-being. A gratitude practice is like a workout and a healthy eating plan for your mind.

In his article “Why Gratitude Is Good,” Emmons writes, “You can’t feel envious and grateful at the same time. They’re incompatible feelings, because if you’re grateful, you can’t resent someone for owning things you don’t.” He goes on to share his research, which found that people with high levels of gratitude have low levels of resentment and envy. (For more on these feelings, see the sidebar “The Relationship Between Envy and Anxiety.”) When we take time to focus on what we are grateful for, we choose positive emotions over negative; thus, we take steps to nurture our mental health and well-being.

How do we trigger gratitude in ourselves? It’s simple. We take time to shift our focus.

How to trigger gratitude in ourselves

Have you ever noticed that when you are looking to buy a new phone, jacket, or some other object all of a sudden everyone around you has it? That’s because, consciously or unconsciously, whatever we are focused on is what we see. If we want to trigger gratitude in ourselves, we need to intentionally shift our focus to that which we are grateful for. The simplest way to do this is through questions, prompts, and a few daily rituals.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVY AND ANXIETY

By Nihar Chhaya

Envy and anxiety are a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation.

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