Thankfulness and Your Health: How Gratitude Calms Stress, Hormones, and Holiday Overload

As we head into Thanksgiving and the Christmas season, it is natural to hear more about “being thankful.” You may write a few cards, say grace over a holiday meal, and even feel a swell of gratitude when everyone is together.

Then the to-do list takes over again.

At North Texas Vitality, I talk with many women and men who are doing their best to juggle family, work, aging parents, finances, and their own health. The holidays can magnify all of this. The good news is that thankfulness is not just a nice idea. When it becomes a regular practice, gratitude can create real, measurable changes in your brain, your hormones, and your long-term health.

In this article, I want to walk you through what the science says about gratitude, how it affects stress hormones like cortisol, and simple ways you can bring more thankfulness into your life this season.

What Do We Actually Mean by “Gratitude”?

Psychologist Robert Emmons, one of the leading researchers on gratitude, defines it as a mindset that includes two key components. 

1. Affirming goodness
   You consciously call it to mind, thank someone, or write it down. 
2. Recognizing goodness outside of yourself
   You notice gifts that come from other people, from nature, and for many, from God (from his article, Why Gratitude is Good)

Gratitude does not ignore pain or pretend everything is fine. Instead, it helps your brain hold both truths simultaneously. Life can be very hard, but there is still something good here.

The Science of Gratitude: Happier Minds, Healthier Bodies

Over the last twenty years, gratitude has become one of the most studied practices in positive psychology. A number of randomized trials and systematic reviews have found that simple gratitude exercises, such as writing down a few things you are thankful for each day, can:

• Improve overall life satisfaction and happiness
• Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Lower perceived stress levels

Patients who regularly practiced gratitude reported better mental health and greater well-being than those in control groups (PMC).

The benefits are not only emotional. Gratitude has been linked to:

• Better sleep quality
• Healthier blood pressure and cardiovascular markers
• Lower inflammatory biomarkers
• Improved heart rate variability, which reflects a calmer nervous system (Science Direct)

In its Wellness News publication, UC Davis Health, summarizing multiple studies, noted that people who practiced gratitude had roughly 23 percent lower cortisol levels and a measurable reduction in inflammatory markers compared with those who did not. 

In other words, thankfulness is not just a “feel-good” emotion. It is a biologically active practice that touches your brain, your blood vessels, your immune system, and your hormones.

Gratitude, Cortisol, and Your Hormones

Chronic stress is one of the most common threads I see in patients who struggle with:

• Weight that will not budge
• Poor sleep
• Brain fog
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Anxiety or low mood
• Blood sugar swings

Stress triggers the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. That system signals your adrenal glands to release cortisol, your primary stress hormone. Short bursts of cortisol are helpful. They help you wake up in the morning and respond to real danger.

When cortisol stays elevated day after day, it begins to work against you. High cortisol can:

• Disrupt thyroid function
• Interfere with sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
• Contribute to insulin resistance and abdominal weight gain
• Raise blood pressure and inflammation

Several studies suggest that gratitude can quiet this stress response. Gratitude practices have been shown to reduce activation of the HPA axis and lower cortisol levels, which, in turn, decrease inflammation and support healthier blood pressure (PMC).

For patients who are working on hormone balance, this matters. Bioidentical hormone replacement, thyroid support, and targeted supplements are powerful tools; yet, if stress is constantly pressing down the gas pedal on your cortisol, it will keep tugging your system in the wrong direction. Gratitude is one gentle way to tap the brakes.

What Happens in the Brain When You Practice Gratitude

Brain imaging studies show that gratitude activates regions in the brain associated with reward, bonding, and emotional regulation. The result is that you feel:

• More content and hopeful
• More connected and less lonely
• Better able to regulate emotions when challenges arise (See my article, “The Mind Body Connection: Hormones and Mental Health”).

Other research suggests that gratitude is associated with better sleep, lower risk of depression, and even possible benefits for longevity (Harvard Health).

Over time, repeated gratitude practices seem to “train” the brain to notice the good more easily, rather than only scanning for danger. This does not erase real problems, but it can shift the overall tone of your inner world in a healthier direction.

The Happiness Research of Dr. Arthur Brooks

Dr. Arthur C. Brooks is a Harvard social scientist who has spent years studying happiness. You may have seen his weekly column in The Atlantic or his recent books on building a more meaningful life (Arthur C. Brooks).

He often writes that gratitude is one of the most reliable happiness tools we have. In one of his reflections, he notes that gratitude “reliably increases happiness,” and that this is one of the most undisputed findings in the social science of happiness (linkedin.com).

In a Thanksgiving essay, Dr. Brooks encourages people to treat gratitude like exercise. We all know exercise is good for us, but we only see results when we build it into a routine, not when we work out once a year. He suggests four simple ways to make gratitude part of daily life (The Atlantic):

1. Interior discipline
   Start the day by quietly reminding yourself of what you value and what is still good in your life, even if you wake up in a low mood.
   
2. Outward expression
   Express thanks to other people. A short text, a handwritten note, or a sincere “thank you” can lift both you and the person you appreciate.
   
3. Treat it as a meaningful duty
   See gratitude as part of the way you want to move through the world, not only something you do when you happen to feel thankful.
   
4. Put gratitude into words of prayer or meditation
   For people of faith, this might mean prayer. For others, it can be a simple daily phrase such as “Thank you for my life,” repeated during stressful moments. See my article, “Mindfulness Meditation Tips to Help You Reduce Stress.”

As a clinician, I appreciate this “gratitude framework” because it reflects what I see every day in practice. Those who choose to practice gratitude daily gradually reshape their thoughts, behavior, and relationships.

Simple Ways to Practice Thankfulness This Holiday Season

If you are already feeling stretched thin, one more “should” on your list is not helpful. Gratitude does not have to be complicated or time-consuming. Small, regular practices actually work better than big, once-a-year gestures.

Here are a few options to consider:

1. A Three Things Gratitude List

Once a day, jot down three specific things you are grateful for. The more concrete, the better.

Instead of: “Family”
Try: “The way my daughter made me laugh at breakfast.”

Instead of: “Health”
Try: “My legs carried me through a walk around the block today.”

Keep the list in a notebook by your bed, in your Notes app, or on a piece of paper at the kitchen counter. These brief gratitude lists will help lower perceived stress and depressive symptoms over time. 

2. A Bedtime Gratitude and Worries Ritual

Right before sleep, take five minutes to write down:

• Three things that went well or for which you are thankful
• One or two worries you are writing down on paper, so your brain does not have to keep spinning them

Studies suggest that gratitude journaling before bed can calm racing thoughts and improve sleep quality, thereby supporting brain health, hormone balance, and immune function (Pacific Neuroscience Institute).

3. Weekly “Thank You” Notes

Once a week during the holiday season, choose one person to thank. It can be:

• A family member who quietly holds things together
• A coworker who covered for you
• A nurse, teacher, or caregiver
• The friend who continuously checks in

Keep it simple. A short email, text, or handwritten note is enough. Expressing thanks to others boosts well-being even more than private gratitude lists, because it deepens connection. 

4. Gratitude Moments with Your Family

Around the Thanksgiving table, in the car, or before bed, try a quick round of:

• “One good thing from today”
• “One person you are thankful for this week”

Children and teens may roll their eyes at first, but over time, it gives their brains practice in noticing the good as well.

5. Gratitude as a Stress Reframe

The next time you are stuck in a long line or a frustrating situation, try adding one gratitude thought beside the frustration. For example:

• “This grocery line is so long. I am still grateful I have food to buy.”
• “Traffic is awful. I am grateful for the podcast I am listening to.”

This does not erase the hassle. It simply prevents your stress response from getting the last word.

How Gratitude Fits with Hormone Care at North Texas Vitality

Practicing thankfulness will not replace medical care, hormone therapy, or needed counseling. It is not a cure for severe depression or trauma. At the same time, gratitude is a powerful ally for your health that you can begin today, without cost or side effects.

When I work with patients on hormone balance, weight management, and stress-related symptoms, we often talk about small daily habits that support the biology we are trying to heal. Gratitude is one of those habits.

Over time, these shifts help your body respond more effectively to hormone therapy, nutritional changes, and physical activity.

A Holiday Invitation

As you move through Thanksgiving and into Christmas, I invite you to experiment with one small gratitude practice:

• A three-things list
• A weekly thank-you note
• A bedtime gratitude ritual
• A simple prayer of “thank you” when you rise or before you sleep

Try it for two to four weeks and notice what changes, not only in your mood, but in your sleep, energy, and sense of calm.

If you are struggling with persistent fatigue, mood changes, weight gain, or other signs of hormone imbalance, you do not have to figure it out alone. We can help you evaluate your hormones, identify root causes, and build a personalized plan that includes both medical treatment and practical tools, such as stress and gratitude practices.If you would like to talk more about stress, hormones, and ways to support your health through the holidays and beyond, contact North Texas Vitality to schedule a visit. Fill out the form below or call our office at 469-455-1665.