Surefire Stress Relief, Part 3: Thanksgiving as a Wellness Practice

By Deborah Rozman

Celebrations of a day of thanks are common around the world. Whether these observances mark an annual harvest, peace or something else, their underlying theme is appreciation and gratitude, sentiments that seem to be innate in human beings. And for good reason.

Research at HeartMath has found that sincere appreciation and gratitude, expressed naturally or intentionally, can have a transformative effect on both giver and receiver. Activating a positive feeling like appreciation is a very potent tonic for the body -- it literally shifts your physiology, synchronizing your heart and brain rhythms, and creating a body-wide shift to a scientifically measurable state called coherence. In this optimal state, the body's systems function more efficiently, generating a greater balance of emotions and increased mental clarity and brain function. Gratitude creates a healthier, happier and more fulfilling state of being.

When you're the receiver of gratitude, your heart rhythm patterns show up in the brain waves in others around you -- we literally pick up on each others' vibes. Each heartbeat is putting out an electromagnetic wave that is 60 times stronger than a brain wave. HeartMath studies show this powerful electromagnetic field (EMF) can be detected and measured several feet away from a person's body and between two individuals in close proximity. Think of the heart as a radio transmitter and its rhythm pattern the frequency signal: Others pick up thoughts and feelings that you're broadcasting. The more we're tuned to somebody, the easier it is to pick up on each other's signals, unconsciously. When we're feeling gratitude or appreciation, it can have an uplifting effect on others. When you feel it, they feel it. This resonance enhances the immune and endocrine systems and effects biochemistry, mind and spirit. It's not mystical, it's science.

When you're the giver and your recipient offers a sincere thank you, you can feel the uplift that is the rush of positive hormones that release as a result. Your heart rhythm has shifted too and then your perspective widens as issues that were bothering you fade to the background.

In honor of Thanksgiving, here are some ways to work more gratitude into your life by anchoring it into your day:

• Try HeartMath's Quick Coherence® Technique. Create a coherent state in about a minute using three simple, but powerful steps. To really get the shift, your effort needs to be intentional and genuine. When you get to Step 3, using thoughts of gratitude to create a Heart Feeling is one of the easiest ways to make the shift. Think of your pet, a sunset, a time in nature, or a loved one. Feel genuine appreciation for them.

I try to live in a state of gratitude. I use it to help me conquer the occasional bout of insomnia or if I have a challenge with somebody. If I do Quick Coherence with gratitude, I can release the negativity, judgment or frustration I was feeling and then I make better decisions. Once I did this before an appointment with a co-worker I had a disagreement with -- I focused on what I valued about him. When we met, I was more heart-connected and our communication went smoothly. The problem we had resolved itself!

Thankfully, gratitude and appreciation can create their own positive psychophysiological holiday in your body -- without the necessity of a feast. If you find yourself facing Thanksgiving stress this week, remember to bring appreciation into your thoughts and heart. This one small adjustment could make a really rich difference in your holiday joy. If you think about it, it's the moments of gratitude that make life worth living anyway.

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Deborah Rozman, Ph.D., is president and CEO of HeartMath LLC, located in Boulder Creek, California. HeartMath provides scientifically-validated and market-validated tools and technologies that activate the intelligence and power of the heart to dramatically reduce stress while empowering health, performance and behavioral change in individuals and organizations. HeartMath's award winning emWave® technologies monitor and provide real time feedback on heart rhythm (HRV) coherence levels, an important indicator of mental and emotional state. HeartMath also offers training and certification programs for organizations, health professionals and coaches, and a self-paced online personal development program called HeartMastery for individuals.

Dr. Rozman has been a psychologist in research and practice, entrepreneur and business executive for over 30 years. She was founding executive director of the Institute of HeartMath, and now serves on the Institute's Scientific Advisory Board and Global Coherence Initiative Steering Committee. She is co-author with HeartMath founder Doc Childre of the Transforming series of books (New Harbinger Publications): Transforming Anger, Transforming Stress, Transforming Anxiety and Transforming Depression. She is a key spokesperson on heart intelligence and the role of the heart in stress management, performance and wellness.