Gratitude and the Nervous System

GRATITUDE AS SOMATIC HEALING

By the UWM editors

GRATITUDE IN THE BODY

Gratitude is often framed as a mindset: think positive, find the silver lining, write three things you’re grateful for. Those prompts can be helpful, but the real shift happens when gratitude moves from the head into the body.

Your nervous system is constantly scanning for cues of safety or danger. When life feels fast, loud, and uncertain, your body may live in a low-level “on guard” mode — tight shoulders, shallow breath, restless thoughts. Genuine appreciation sends the opposite signal: for this moment, something is okay. There is enough.

You might notice it in small waves: your breath deepening, your jaw softening, your shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch, your attention widening instead of narrowing around the next problem. These subtle changes are signs that your nervous system is touching into regulation — a state where rest, digestion, connection, and creativity become easier again.

What the Research Shows

Emerging research supports this. A 2023 systematic review found that gratitude practices can positively influence cardiovascular function and autonomic nervous system activity, helping the body shift toward regulation and balance. Other researchers note that even brief experiences of appreciation can affect heart rate variability and support more resilient stress responses over time.

Think of gratitude as a way of feeding your nervous system small, digestible doses of safety — not denying what hurts, not pretending everything is fine, but naming something that is supporting you right now. A warm mug in your hands. The way the light falls across your floor. A text from a friend who gets you. When we pay attention to these moments on purpose, we help our brain remember they exist. Over time, the nervous system becomes slightly less braced for impact and more open to connection.

You don’t need a big practice to feel the shift. Try placing one hand on your chest and one on your belly, feeling your body breathe under your palms, and naming one thing that is quietly supporting you today. Take a short walk and let your eyes land on a few things that bring ease or beauty — a tree, a color, a pattern in the sky — and just let your nervous system register them. Before bed, mentally trace your body from head to toe and thank one part that carried you through the day. Notice any softening as you do.

Let Gratitude Be Honest

Some days, gratitude will feel effortless. Other days, the most honest version is simply being grateful the day is over. That counts. The goal isn’t to override real feelings but to make space for small, truthful moments of appreciation alongside them. Over time, those moments accumulate in your nervous system like layers of soft moss — quiet, grounding, and real.

This season, you don’t have to perform gratitude. You can simply practice noticing what is still holding you, one breath, one sensation, one small thank-you at a time.