The Health Benefits of Gratitude: How Two Simple Words Can Change Everything
Every so often, life hands you a moment that quietly shifts your perspective—something small, almost ordinary, but it lands with weight. Recently, gratitude hit me twice in unexpected ways. Both moments were simple, human, and grounding. And both reminded me just how powerful a grateful mind can be.
Moment 1: A Delivery Driver & Two Small Words
We’ve been doing some house remodeling (send help), and redoing our stairs has become a DIY project we may eventually regret. Our boys loved the demo part—naturally—but the real work is… ongoing - and it’s a mess.
Last week on a cold, gray November morning here in Ohio, our newel posts were delivered. The driver was wrestling a large pallet off the truck, rain blowing sideways, and he casually mentioned his next stop was downtown Cincinnati.
I said to him oh wow, I bet driving a truck this big in downtown and parking is tough, especially on a day like this, but I really hope you have a good rest of the day.
His response stopped me, in the simplicity, and mindset.
“I will.”
Then he added, “I’m here, it’ll be a good day.”
He wasn’t saying it because the day looked bright and beautiful. It wasn’t. He wasn’t saying it because his job was easy. It’s not. He simply chose to see his day as good and this really hit me, stuck with me.
His gratitude wasn’t for circumstances—it was for being here to live the day. And it hit me with a strange warmth - I’m not sure how else to describe it.
I’m almost certain he had no idea he inspired me. But he did.
And that made me realize:
Sometimes two words can change someone’s entire outlook, a simple mindset shift, it’ll be a good day has the power to change the day.
Moment 2: A Salad, a Juicery, and Choosing Joy
The next day, I walked into Green Farm Juicery—huge shout-out to the amazing humans in there who truly make the day better—to pick up my juices and my beloved favorite salad. Except… the salad wasn’t there.
I sighed to myself, mildly (actually super) disappointed, and started gathering my usual juices (side note: if you’ve never added juice into your day, talk with me… it’s magic).
Gathering my juices, I saw one salad that had been shoved to the back of the case, not in the usual spot. One lonely salad. The last one. (so dramatic -ha!)
I said (louder than intended):
“This salad just made my whole day.”
The woman behind the counter laughed and said, “I love that a salad makes your day. The last three customers all complained about the weather.”
(It was blowing rain and miserably cold - see a theme here - Ohio, you can be tough in the winter months.)
We chatted for a moment, and I said, “The weather kinda stinks but I’m happy today that I’m well enough to run around in the rain… and that you had my favorite salad.”
Something so small, yet that moment lifted both of us - she said, I just love this.
Why Gratitude Packs So Much Power
Dr. Daniel Amen says it beautifully:
“If you focus on gratitude, you will feel grateful. If you focus on those who love you, you will feel loved. If you focus on those you love, you will feel loving. And if you focus on the times you have felt joy, you will feel joyful.”
Gratitude works because it directs your brain.
Your brain is always scanning your environment. When you focus on stress, inconvenience, frustration—your brain finds more of it. When you focus on blessings, connection, joy—your brain finds that instead.
And this is why an attitude of gratitude—even on a rainy, not-so-perfect day—can spark real joy. It shifts your internal landscape. Often, it’s not the situation that determines how we feel… it’s how we view the situation.
Physiologically, gratitude can:
Lower cortisol (your stress hormone), especially when shifting your mind from a negative frame to a grateful one
Increase serotonin and dopamine (your feel-good neurotransmitters)
Reduce inflammation
Improve sleep
Strengthen relationships
Increase resilience and optimism
Support longevity (yes, truly)
This is why a simple mindframe shift—from “ugh, what a day” to “I’m grateful I get to live this day”—creates measurable changes in the body. Try saying it outloud the next time life throws something crappy your way.
Gratitude doesn’t erase hard things.
It simply widens our view so the hard things aren’t the only things. The joy is in the shift.
The Real Lesson: Gratitude Doesn’t Need to Be Big
These moments made me more intentional about:
Sharing joy in small ways, sharing joy with strangers might have a ripple effect - be the ripple, start the ripple
Noticing the good, even in the rain
Letting simple interactions land
Remembering how much power we each have to shift someone’s day
Sometimes gratitude looks like a journal entry, a prayer of gratitude to start and end your day.
Sometimes it looks like a warm cup of coffee.
Sometimes it sounds like, “I will.”
And sometimes it’s just being well enough to run around in the rain.
Let it land
We’re all moving so fast—checking the next thing off the list, rushing to the next place, mentally living three steps ahead. Because of that, we often miss the tiny, human moments happening right in front of us. But when you let simple interactions land—really land—they become small anchors of meaning in your day.
It’s the warm smile from a stranger, the delivery driver’s steady “I will,” the barista who remembers your order, the quick joke with someone at the checkout line, or the unexpected kindness from a friend. These are micro-moments of connection, and research shows that they release oxytocin, calm your nervous system, and remind your brain that the world is not just stress and speed—it’s full of humans trying their best.
When you pause long enough to actually feel those moments instead of rushing past them, you’re training your mind to notice good things. You’re strengthening the neural pathways that shift you out of fight-or-flight and into presence, safety, and gratitude. Simple interactions become mini-reset buttons for your brain. They take a day that could have been “just heavy” and infuse it with meaning, humor, warmth, or perspective.
And the best part?
These tiny moments often stay with you—long after the interaction is over.
Try This Today
Before your brain gets swept into the to-do list or the weather or the heavy “deliveries of the day,” pause and ask yourself:
What is one tiny thing I’m grateful for right now? Then….
Let it land.
Let it shift you.
And maybe—just maybe—let it ripple into someone else’s day too.
Sending you love, gratitude for you, and wishes for joy in the season…
Erica Finnan, AGNP-C
Founder, EverWell Center for Health & Longevity