Gratitude and Stress...Is There a Link?

Written By Mrs. Young

We have all heard and frequently use the phrase, “I’m so stressed”. It is almost worn as a badge of honor yet we don’t like the anxiety and overwhelming physical and emotional feelings that come with being stressed. In my years working with teens, I find that students often present with anxiety and stress issues.

A teen suffering from anxiety or excessive stress may exhibit persistent worry, irritability, or withdrawal from social activities. They may also have sleep issues (too much or too little), stomach aches, headaches, or a change in school performance.

As educators and parents, we do not want to undermine these often overwhelming feelings that our young people are expressing/experiencing. An important question every parent can ask themselves is, "Have they learned from us good techniques on how to cope, or do they observe our own frazzled and ineffective ways of coping with the daily stresses of life?"

Studies show that there is a link between being grateful and managing stress; higher gratitude is associated with lower stress. But why is that? When we experience stress, we release the hormone cortisol, which can affect our mood, cognitive abilities, and sleep.

There are negative effects of prolonged exposure to cortisol release. Gratitude activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the body’s rest mode. This, in turn, counteracts the stress-driven fight-flight-freeze response. Just as importantly, gratitude allows us to see the hand of God working in our lives...even in the stress, anxiety, or pain. There are a number of ways to help reduce the level of stress, such as journaling, drawing, walking, running, music, etc.

What if we lean into God’s instruction to remain thankful? “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”- 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

I propose that we encourage rhythms of gratitude in our daily family life. Have each family member start a gratitude journal where they record three things they are thankful for each day. Or start a new carpool routine where on the way to school, everyone shares one thing they are thankful for that morning. It will shift the atmosphere for both parents and children.

When you focus on what’s going well or on what you appreciate, your brain’s attention shifts away from the overwhelming feelings you are experiencing. Focusing on what we are grateful for helps to reduce the cognitive load of stress.

Gratitude helps reframe challenges as growth opportunities, not just stressors. As Christ followers, we are instructed to be thankful in all things. What does the Bible say about gratitude and thankfulness....LOTS!! I challenge you to read through and discuss these Bible verses with your students.  

• I Samuel 12:24
• I Chronicles 16:34

• Psalm 9:1 (The whole book of Psalms reads like a gratitude journal)
• Luke 22:19
• I Corinthians 15:57
• II Corinthians 2:14, 9:11, 15
• Ephesians 5:20
• Philippians 4:6-7
• Colossians 2:6-7, 3:15-17
• I Thessalonians 5:16-18
• II Thessalonians 1:3

It’s easy to be generic in our thanksgiving, but let’s get specific. Ann Voskamp’s book One Thousand Gifts demonstrates how to be thoughtfully, specifically thankful for the big gifts down to the smallest gifts; finding ways to be grateful in the everyday. The more we exercise our thankfulness muscle, the easier it is to combat stress and quickly shift our mindset. It takes practice.

Gratitude does not erase stress, but it shifts our mindset to a more resilient, calmer, and better able to cope individual. “The unthankful heart discovers no mercies, but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings”- Henry Ward Beecher