The Gratitude Reset

The days after Thanksgiving can feel like a crash back to emails, routines, and responsibilities. But here’s something powerful (and science-backed): gratitude is one of the fastest ways to shift your energy, your mood, and even your brain.

Gratitude doesn’t just improve how you feel, it actually rewires your brain.

The Science Behind Gratitude:

When you practice gratitude consistently, your brain forms new neural pathways. This is called neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to rewire itself based on repeated thoughts and behaviors.

Over time, gratitude:

• Strengthens areas of the brain linked to happiness and emotional regulation
• Reduces activity in the stress and fear centers
• Increases dopamine and serotonin (your natural motivation + mood chemicals)
• Makes your brain more likely to notice the positive automatically

Translation?
What you repeatedly focus on, your brain learns to default to. Gratitude trains your brain to look for what’s working instead of what’s wrong.

Try This Simple Gratitude Reset Today:

• Name one thing you’re grateful for from Thanksgiving
• Name one small win from this week
• Name one thing you’re looking forward to

That’s it. Three thoughts. One minute. A real nervous system and mindset reset.

This Week’s Wellness Challenge:

Before checking your phone in the morning, pause and think of 3 things you’re grateful for, big or small. Do this daily for the rest of the week and notice how your mood, patience, and stress response begin to shift.

Reminder: You don’t need a perfect routine to feel better. Gratitude literally retrains your brain to handle stress differently. This isn’t toxic positivity, it’s neuroscience.

Let’s carry the spirit of Thanksgiving forward—not just one day a year, but as a daily reset.