Why a Thankful Mind Can Help You Live Longer and Feel Stronger
Here’s something amazing — your heart doesn’t just respond to love or heartbreak. It also responds to your thoughts.
Researchers have found that people who regularly practice gratitude tend to have higher heart rate variability (or HRV). That might sound technical, but here’s what it really means: HRV is a measure of how flexible and resilient your heart is when responding to stress.
A higher HRV means your body can easily shift between activity and rest — you can handle challenges without staying stuck in stress mode. A lower HRV, on the other hand, can signal that your body is stuck in fight or flight mode, and that can cause exhaustion, anxiety, and even inflammation.
For women in perimenopause and menopause, this matters more than ever. Changes in estrogen, progesterone, and androgens can make our bodies more sensitive to stress, and that can make our cardiovascular system work harder during this stage of life–increasing our risk of life threatening heart disease. Gratitude helps counteract that by sending calming signals through the nervous system — gently teaching your heart to relax, recover, and stay strong.
🌿 Try this heart-centered gratitude ritual:
Before bed, place a hand over your heart and take three slow, deep breaths. Think of one person or moment from your day that made you feel thankful. You might even notice your heartbeat slowing down — that’s your nervous system resetting.
Before bed, place a hand over your heart and take three slow, deep breaths. Think of one person or moment from your day that made you feel thankful. You might even notice your heartbeat slowing down — that’s your nervous system resetting.
Over time, this practice doesn’t just lift your mood; it strengthens your resilience — the ability to bounce back, stay calm, and thrive in your body’s new rhythm. 💖
How Thankfulness Can Boost Your Mood Naturally
If you’ve ever felt like your emotions are on a bit of a roller coaster lately — one day full of energy, the next day just… off — you’re not alone. During perimenopause and menopause, fluctuating hormone levels can change how we feel both physically and emotionally.
What’s really happening? As progesterone begins to decline (and estrogen and androgens can decrease or even increase), the brain chemicals that keep us feeling happy and balanced — like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA — can fluctuate too. That’s why you might feel less motivated, more anxious, or even a little flat, even when “nothing’s really wrong.”
But here’s the beautiful part: your mindset can help rebalance those same brain pathways. Practicing gratitude — something as simple as writing down three things you’re thankful for each day — can actually activate the brain’s reward centers, increasing dopamine and serotonin naturally.
Think of it as a mini “neurochemical reset.”
When you pause to notice what’s good — even tiny moments like your morning coffee, a kind word from a friend, something that made you laugh, or a quick prayer of gratitude before bed — your brain releases a gentle wave of feel-good hormones. Over time, this helps lift your mood and even makes your body more resilient to stress.
💫 Try this tonight:
Before you go to bed, jot down three small things that made you smile today. They don’t have to be big — sometimes the smallest joys make the biggest difference.
Gratitude won’t replace lost hormones, but it can decrease cortisol levels helping support your body and mind as you move through this new chapter — helping you feel grounded, calm, and more like yourself again. 🌿
