As a meditation teacher and transformational coach, I’ve spent years studying what actually helps people find lasting peace. Not temporary relief or positive thinking that fades when life gets hard, but real, embodied calm that stays with you.
And here’s what I’ve learned: gratitude isn’t just a nice feeling. It’s a nervous system practice.
When we cultivate genuine gratitude, not forced positivity, but authentic appreciation for what is, we signal safety to our bodies. We shift from survival mode into a state where healing, connection, and clarity become possible.
This is why I created The Everyday Gratitude Journal and wrote Holistic Vagus Nerve Reset. Because when we understand how these practices work together, everything changes.
The Science Behind Gratitude and Your Nervous System
Your nervous system has two modes: sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest). Most of us spend far too much time in sympathetic activation: stressed, anxious, constantly scanning for threats.
Gratitude practice activates the parasympathetic nervous system. It specifically does this through the vagus nerve. This nerve is like a communication highway between your brain and body. When you pause to genuinely appreciate something, such as the warmth of your coffee or a kind word from a friend, you are telling your body: It’s safe. You can relax.
Research shows that regular gratitude practice:
- Reduces cortisol (stress hormone)
- Improves heart rate variability (a marker of nervous system resilience)
- Enhances vagal tone (your capacity to regulate stress)
- Decreases inflammation
- Improves sleep quality
But here’s what the research often misses: the felt sense of peace that comes when you stop fighting reality and start appreciating what’s already here.
Beyond “Being Thankful”: The 5 Dimensions of Gratitude
Most gratitude practices focus on listing three things you’re thankful for. That’s a start, but actual gratitude practice goes deeper.
In The Everyday Gratitude Journal, I guide readers through five dimensions of gratitude that I learned from my teacher davidji:
1. Physical Gratitude Appreciating your body, not for how it looks, but for what it does. The ability to breathe, move, feel sensations, and heal. When you’re grateful for your body, you naturally take better care of it.
2. Emotional Gratitude Honoring your feelings, even difficult ones. Gratitude for the capacity to feel joy, but also for the courage it takes to feel sadness, anger, or fear. Every emotion carries information.
3. Material Gratitude: Recognizing the resources that support your life. Not from scarcity (“I should be grateful for what I have”) but from genuine appreciation. The roof over your head. Clean water. The technology connecting you to loved ones.
4. Relational Gratitude Appreciating the people in your life, not just the easy relationships, but also the challenging ones that teach you about boundaries, forgiveness, and growth.
5. Spiritual Gratitude: Connecting to something larger than yourself. This might be nature, creativity, purpose, or simply the miracle of being alive. As Paulo Coelho wrote: “A miracle happened: another day of life.”
When you practice gratitude across all five dimensions, you’re not just thinking positive thoughts. You’re rewiring your nervous system to recognize safety, abundance, and connection.
The Gratitude-Vagus Nerve Connection
Here’s where it gets fascinating: gratitude practice and vagus nerve regulation amplify each other.
The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your autonomic nervous system, connecting your brain to your heart, lungs, digestive system, and more. When your vagal tone is strong, you recover from stress faster, regulate emotions more easily, and feel more connected to others.
Gratitude strengthens vagal tone. But here’s the beautiful part: when you combine gratitude practice with direct vagus nerve stimulation techniques, the effects compound.
In my book Holistic Vagus Nerve Reset (which I’m offering FREE on Amazon this November 27th), I share practical exercises like:
- Humming and singing (vagal stimulation through vocal cords)
- Cold water exposure (activates the vagus nerve)
- Diaphragmatic breathing (directly tones the vagus)
- Gargling (simple but effective vagal exercise)
When you pair these techniques with gratitude journaling, you’re approaching nervous system healing from two powerful angles: mindset and physiology.
How to Start Your Practice Today
You don’t need to overhaul your life. Start small:
Morning Gratitude Practice (5 minutes):
- Before checking your phone, place your hand on your heart
- Take three slow, deep breaths
- Ask yourself: “What in my body am I grateful for right now?”
- Notice one thing (your breath, your heartbeat, the warmth of your bed)
- Let yourself feel that appreciation for 30 seconds
Evening Reflection (5 minutes):
- Write down one moment from your day in each gratitude dimension:
- Physical: What did your body do for you?
- Emotional: What feeling brought you information or growth?
- Material: What resource supported you?
- Relational: Who showed you kindness?
- Spiritual: When did you feel connected to something greater?
Bonus: Add Vagus Nerve Stimulation:
- Hum while you journal
- Do 5 minutes of deep breathing before bed
- Splash cold water on your face in the morning
The key is consistency, not perfection. Even 5 minutes a day rewires your brain and nervous system over time.
Your Resources for Deeper Practice
If this resonates with you, I’ve created two resources to support your journey:
The Everyday Gratitude Journal 365 daily quotes and prompts exploring gratitude across all five dimensions, plus monthly reflection worksheets.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
✨ 365 daily gratitude quotes & prompts
📖 12 monthly reflection worksheets
🎨 Beautiful design suitable for gifting
💝 Created by a meditation teacher & transformational coach.
This is perfect for yourself. It is also a meaningful holiday gift for someone who could use more calm and presence in their life.
Holistic Vagus Nerve Reset – FREE November 27th! This Thursday, you can get it for free on Amazon Kindle for 24 hours. Inside, you’ll find science-backed practices for:
- Reducing chronic stress and anxiety
- Improving digestion and sleep
- Regulating your nervous system naturally
- Building resilience to life’s challenges
Set a reminder for November 27th and grab your free copy. Share it with anyone in your life who’s struggling with stress, burnout, or feeling stuck in fight-or-flight mode.
Final Thoughts
Gratitude isn’t about pretending everything is perfect. It’s about training your nervous system to recognize what’s already working, even amid the challenges.
It’s about pausing long enough to notice: the breath moving through your body, the ground beneath your feet, the people who show up for you, the quiet miracles that happen every single day.
When you practice gratitude, not as a Band-Aid, but as a genuine return to presence, you’re not just changing your thoughts. You’re changing your biology. Your nervous system learns: I’m safe. I’m supported. I’m here.
And from that place of safety and presence, everything becomes possible.
Start today. Your nervous system will thank you.
With gratitude, Myriam Gareau
P.S. Don’t forget to grab Holistic Vagus Nerve Reset for free on Kindle this Thursday, November 27th! I’ll be posting the link on social media when it goes live. Follow me on [Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn] for the reminder. 💙
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