The Role of Habitual Gratitude in Enhancing Mental Health and Resilience
It wasn’t until I was in a habitual downward spiral in my mental health for years that I decided to start a gratitude journal… but honestly speaking, it was not my idea. After calling the suicide crisis line for veterans several times in just a few months, I received a random call from the National Suicide Crisis line. I remember stopping in my tracks because normally I am making the call, yet this time they were calling me. I answered and on the other end I heard, “Hello this is Scott, a peer support specialist from the REGIONAL office of the National Suicide Crisis line, may I speak with Brianna. This was very unusual and unfamiliar ergo; I was beyond baffled yet extremely curious.
Scott stated that my frequent calling for veterans prompted an alert on the regional level. I was mind blown at that point. He continued, mentioning that when a situation as such occurs, a peer support specialist reaches out to the veteran and inquire if they would like to partake in 8 scheduled sessions to talk and receive guidance, am I interested? I have always been huge on self-advocacy and seeking out help when needed, so I replied, “sure I’ll give it a go.” To be 100% transparent I replied, “Sure, I’m desperate for any help that I can get at this point.” I had no pride to receive help, never have, never will… if I believe that it is genuine.
From that point, Scott and I had a scheduled 1 hour call every two weeks. After giving him a spill of the battles that I have been juggling within my personal life and that I seem to be hanging on by a thread, he suggested that I start a gratitude journal. The assignment was to write 3 things every day that I am grateful for, no matter how big or how small. It sounded so cheesy with the state of mind that I was in at the time, but I attempted it. It was the hardest thing; I could not be consistent. He would ask me how the gratitude journaling is coming along in our sessions, I was honest. I am trying but it is difficult to maintain consistency. He showed so much grace and compassion, he simply encouraged me to keep trying and not to be hard on myself if I missed days.
During our last session, it was very emotional because I felt so much improvement in my mental overall, but their policy was 8 sessions only. After that I went through a huge grieving process again for months. Then one day I told myself, “Just do 21/3.” The concept of 21/3 that I conjured up was to write three things that I am grateful for 21 consecutive days. It was challenging in the beginning, but I was dedicated. And OMG was I sooooo grateful that I pushed myself because the consistency was building neuroplasticity. My brain was rewiring, through everything I began to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. With this mindset of true and genuine gratitude, through major challenges, I began to find the minute positives that were sufficient to mentally push through.
After 21 days of consistency, writing in my gratitude journal was now a need, like brushing my teeth. I felt gritty ending my day without reflecting and dissecting the good that I appreciated that day. Including the rough days, I looked forward to pulling out the positives to ease my mind and prepare it for some restful REM sleep.
Have you ever had those days where you lay down and have that thought, “I know that I am forgetting to do something”? On busy days when I am on go-mode and simply eager and ready to put head to pillow and crash, I pop right up and get to it. Discipline and integrity. This habit has built an immense amount of personal resilience within me. Gratitude journaling has been a pillar in my mental health.
My only wish is that my story can encourage others to try the 21/3 concept for themselves. If you happen to try this, feel free to shoot me an email at hello@TheBriannaAmanda.com. Whether you’ve completed it successfully or even struggled to do so, please send me an email. I would love to hear your insight, your journey. Remember that every attempt makes you 1% better than the previous day, so be gentle when entering new territories. Creating new habits means creating a new mindset, both take time but maintain your resilience.