In her role, Dr. Miller breaks down research to deliver practical ways to apply it to the classroom. Her journey with gratitude was no different. “I looked at the science of gratitude, and it opened my mind. For one, gratitude, unlike other emotions, you can self-induce. You also don’t need something good to happen to feel grateful.”

Dr. Miller shared multiple studies on the topic with gratitude interventions. “A study of people receiving counseling services for depression and anxiety wrote letters to someone they were grateful for, and it had a profound impact on their well-being.”

Another study on nurses revealed that when they spent a few minutes post-shift to write down things they were grateful for, they had improvements in work-life balance, depression and happiness.

The impact of gratitude can rewire the brain, and that’s not all. “It starts with heartbeats. Those feeling gratitude have the same beats per minute as relaxation. It’s also steady. That signals to the brain that you’re safe. Gratitude doesn’t get rid of the negative, but it brings balance,” Dr. Miller shared.

Dr. Miller offered some tips for helping students practice gratitude: “Giving options for them to record gratitude so that it’s not forced and modeling. An educator showing gratitude helps them and students. Gratitude is contagious.”