Say Thank You

Every time you feel an emotion; whether it’s anger, anxiety, sadness, happiness: say thank you. This sounds insane, but the science backs it. Saying thank you removes you from the emotion and gives you control. Expressing gratitude to the emotion you’re feeling makes you the observer of the emotion, and you’re able to process it freely without letting it control you. Neuroscience proves that the more grateful we are for everything we feel and see in our world, the happier we are. We must say thank you to the universe for everything around us, and everything we feel.

“Thanking others, thanking ourselves, Mother Nature, or a divine power, gratitude in any form can enlighten the mind and make us feel happier. It has a healing effect on us” (Russell & Fosha, 2008).

This has been a life changing hack for me, and it’s one that I literally just started practicing recently. I can tell you, firsthand, that the effects have been transformative. Just this morning, I opened my phone to a stressful work text, you know, roll out of bed, and you check your phone, just to see notifications piled on top of one another. Then you see that one text from work that sticks out among the rest. Immediately, I felt  the uneasiness in my stomach, as it traveled up through my chest and into the back of my throat, I could feel the muscles in my back tense up and tears forming in my eyes. I paused, and I said, “thank you.”

Just like that, I was in control. Instantly, I had a cathartic moment. I could feel the tension release from my back, the lump in my throat was gone, the tears had dried, and my stomach had an explosion of optimism. All at once, I felt peace, joy, excitement..

Power.

According to a study performed by Florida International University and Dr. Philip Lazarus in 2024, expressing gratitude literally changes your biochemistry, and it improves your overall health. “When we feel gratitude, Lazarus explains, our brains release hormones associated with happiness and joy, dopamine and serotonin. ‘Those are two crucial neurotransmitters that are responsible for our emotions,’ he says. ‘When we release these hormones, they make us feel good. They immediately make us feel happy from the inside’” (Maria Valencia, 2024). Dr. Philip Lazarus is an Associate Professor and Director of the School Psychology Training Program at Florida International University and he’s spent extensive time studying being thankful and its effects on the human body - not just the brain.

“Gratitude can elevate our mindset,” said Dr. Lazarus. “If we start acknowledging and appreciating all the good things in life, then we’re cultivating gratitude. It could be something as simple as ‘It’s a beautiful Sunday morning and the sun is shining’ (Maria Valencia, 2024).

So I challenge you today, in your everyday hustle, make time to be thankful. Not just thankful for the good, or the things that jump out in your life as positives, but every time you feel, anything. When you’re angry: say thank you. When you’re anxious: say thank you. 

Express gratitude for it all.