Need a Boost Through the Burnout? Try Gratitude

This Thanksgiving season, we may find ourselves giving thanks differently than in years past. Experiences we once took for granted—spending holidays with loved ones, traveling, assembling in great numbers under one roof to eat and celebrate together—may not be possible this year. In fact, remember last year? The normalcy of a work day? The anticipation of a long weekend of eating and relaxing with friends and family? We have been adapting to a new reality for eight straight months. In addition to the pandemic fatigue that has set in for many, stress has taken on new forms with the U.S. presidential election, natural disasters, shootings, and the issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement. Studies show that 70% of people are feeling burnout, which includes emotional exhaustion, decreased sense of accomplishment, and depletion of empathy.

In the context of these unprecedented challenges, how do we come up for air to create moments of joy and thanks inside our new realities? As we continue adapting to a rapidly shifting world, how do we find stability and peace within ourselves?

The key is gratitude. It turns out gratitude is a simple but powerful practice during these uncertain times, not only because it feels good, but because it’s a scientifically proven way to manage distressing events. Turning our attention to what we have to be grateful for, even in the midst of a global pandemic, brings many benefits including stress reduction and a boost to our immune systems. We are adaptable creatures and giving thanks is rooted in our biology. In a year that has challenged most, bringing more gratitude into our lives and workplaces can make for tangible benefits. 

With the events of this remarkable year in mind, we wanted to reprise last year’s article on gratitude, and deliver proven ways to gain perspective in a needed time for it.

How Neuroscience Defines Gratitude                                   

According to UC Berkeley’s Dr. Summer Allen, “...studies suggest that gratitude is an intrinsic part of being human, part of the very building blocks of human biology.” Neuroscientists have found that gratitude activates different areas of the brain including those affiliated with forming social bonds and assessing the moral intentions and actions of others. With limited or changed access to social interactions, and navigating new forms of connection in a physically distanced world, this is really important. In addition, gratitude creates a feeling of reward in the brain, which is enhanced in people who are more grateful. 

Doctors Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough define gratitude as a two-step cognitive process: 1) “recognizing that one has obtained a positive outcome” and 2) “recognizing that there is an external source for this positive outcome.” In essence, gratitude is about expressing thankfulness—it’s the state of being grateful, being appreciative of benefits received. Some researchers further distill gratitude into three types:

• A trait, which is one’s overall tendency to have a grateful disposition,
• A mood, or the daily fluctuations in overall gratitude, and
• An emotion, which is a temporary feeling that one may feel after receiving a gift or a favor. 

The Benefits of Gratitude    

Fifteen years of gratitude research have highlighted its many benefits. While many of us give thanks before we dig in to our holiday meal, we may not be aware that gratitude can also buffer us from life’s challenges. Studies show that gratitude improves the quality of sleep, reduces stress, boosts our immune systems, and increases our overall sense of well-being. And it plays a major role in psychological well-being, including making us happier, calmer, and improving our relationships. 

Gratitude has also been shown to lower levels of drug use and can help people recover from addiction, which could be a powerful tool in shifting the opioid crisis. It also has been proven to reduce depression as well as suicidal thoughts and actions, which is especially helpful now that the pandemic has created a rise in depression, anxiety and suicide.

Gratitude’s protective factor is immensely helpful in the midst of chaos, as environmental crises and political stressors present us with new challenges we haven’t faced before. Simply put, gratitude helps us recover more quickly from traumatic events.

Making Gratitude a Regular Practice

Bringing the benefits of gratitude into our lives and work settings may be more important than ever. How do we bring gratitude to work now that work is vastly different than before? It’s easier than you think but the most important thing to do is to make it a regular practice. At a time when normal routines are already disrupted and we must develop new habits and routines out of necessity, it may also be a great opportunity to start a gratitude practice. 

Dr. Ryan Fehr at the University of Washington studies gratitude in the workplace, working with managers from tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon. He says that the first rule is to create a gratitude habit, which is “a stable tendency to feel grateful within a particular context.” We all certainly can do this for ourselves, and I encourage you to think about how to establish your own personal habit (I’ve listed some options below). 

Dr. Fehr goes on to say that when organizations take the time to help their employees develop a gratitude habit, it can shift the culture in powerful ways, where “persistent gratitude is shared by members of an organization.” This leads to increased engagement, retention, positivity, and even better health. 

Six strategies to bring more gratitude to your workplace: 

1. Start Meetings with Gratitude

Whether your meetings are in person or online, consider starting a meeting by asking people to share something they are grateful for, rather than the typical introductions or project updates. This helps people get to know each other, fostering connection even when people are not working in the same location. Kicking off a meeting with a gratitude practice will also help people become more present and less stressed. It’s almost impossible to stay flustered or worried when you authentically express gratitude for something. It actually shifts our biology, lowering blood pressure and releasing dopamine and oxytocin. Even if starting a meeting with a gratitude practice feels unfamiliar in your workplace, I encourage you to give it a try—your colleagues may surprise you with their receptivity, and hearing their comments may inspire you to find new things to be grateful for.

2. Engage in Acts of Appreciation

We live in a culture where it’s common to point out problems but rare to highlight the positive. Even when the weight of problems seems daunting, there are always positive aspects to celebrate. When was the last time you expressed gratitude to your colleagues for a job well done or the gifts and talents they bring to the team? How often do you comment on the positive qualities of your family members or neighbors without adding a “but” or request at the end? 

All of us hunger to be seen and heard, so take time to tell someone what you value about them. If we express our gratitude for another person to that person, they get a positive boost. At work, this can yield all kinds of benefits. According to Dr. Camille Preston, “Gratitude builds engagement and trust, increases retention and results in higher quality work.” 

How can you make expressing gratitude to others a regular practice? Consider using online tools or smartphone apps for coworker appreciation. Sending a quick email or voice message can really make someone feel great and you will enjoy acknowledging them too. If your organization still gathers in a workplace, put up a bulletin board for kudos, stocked with colorful post-it notes, pens and hand sanitizer for ongoing, safe expression. Or build a time into project meetings for people to appreciate others, perhaps particularly for something accomplished that week. 

Another simple option: encourage thank you messages. Written notes are so rare these days that they have become highly valued. As an example, one senior executive at a Silicon Valley tech giant hand wrote notes of appreciation to each of their top performing engineers. People felt so honored that, over time, this specific initiative drove higher engagement scores and retention levels. Buy a box of thank you notes and see what happens when you mail them. 

3. Find Gratitude in Challenging Times

It’s easy to be thankful when things are going well. But it’s important to cultivate appreciation for the experiences that also teach us something, even when those things feel harder to be grateful for. As the challenges of this year have piled on, we may find ourselves in unfamiliar territory—working from home, modifying our social activities, contending with political stressors. While it’s important to allow ourselves to feel whatever emotions arise, even the uncomfortable ones, remember that we always have a choice about where to direct our attention. Even in the darkest of times, there are things to be grateful for all around us. Start small if you need to, and build from there. It can be as simple as expressing gratitude for the dandelion that has pushed up through the cracks in the concrete to bloom. Choosing to seek out and focus on the silver lining will shift you out of negativity and pivot you in the direction of receiving the many benefits that gratitude has to offer. 

4. Look for the Impact 

Several studies show that when we can see the impact of our efforts on others, we can feel gratitude and enjoy the many health benefits it provides. People in the helping professions, like first responders or health care workers, can often directly see the impact of their efforts. But regardless of our specific jobs, all of us do things that impact others, whether it’s making the project go smoothly, or supporting a coworker who is having a bad day, or playing our specific role in the mission or vision of the organization where we work. Managers and senior leaders can help make this last connection more clear, by talking about the successes of the organization and the impact it’s having in the world. One way to do this is through “voice of the customer” programs, which can be as simple as posting customer letters on a bulletin board or website to creating elaborate video documentaries about customer stories. In addition, organizations can support employee volunteerism and demonstrate corporate responsibility through a variety of programs like adopting a local non-profit organization, participating in socially distanced neighborhood cleanup activities, and providing donation fund matching. The goal is to help every employee see the good work they participate in. 

5. Get More Mindful & Amplify the Power of Gratitude

The benefits of gratitude and mindfulness are so closely aligned that scientists call them “sisters.” Mindfulness practices can take many forms from yoga to meditation, and from a formal sitting ritual to just washing the dishes. When you combine them, by doing a meditation on gratitude for example, the positive impact is even stronger. Dr. Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin has found that mindfulness can alter the brain in significant ways (I recommend his book Altered Traits). A study at Harvard Medical School found that meditation can alter the physical composition of the brain, actually shrinking the amygdala, making it less reactive to anxiety and stress. In addition, several studies have shown that both gratitude and mindfulness make the brain more receptive to learning, which is vital during times of change, as we gain new skills and habits. I encourage you to be open to exploring new avenues of mindfulness as many yoga studios, meditation teachers and mindfulness practitioners are offering their services and sessions in low cost live streams online during this time.

6. Keep a Gratitude Journal

Study after study has shown that keeping a gratitude journal can be an easy way to build a regular practice. Results from two separate research studies found that participants who kept a gratitude journal reported better physical health (e.g., lower blood pressure, fewer headaches, less stomach pain, clearer skin, as well as reduced congestion, sore muscles, and nausea) in as little as two weeks. 

I keep a gratitude journal by my bedside. Every night I write three things I am grateful for—either from that day or from life in general. Because our jobs can be so stressful, I think it’s important to bring gratitude to work, so I make a point of having at least one thing be about work. This practice has brought an additional benefit of helping me wind down after a busy day and sleeping more peacefully. 

One of the things that I am always grateful for is this network of like minded professionals. I am thankful that we have this opportunity to connect with each other, learn together, and support one another, especially during these changing times.

With appreciation,

Britt

• Learn more by reading this 2018 evidence-based white paper on gratitude published by the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.
• To learn more about your own level of gratitude, take this 20-question gratitude quiz from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.

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