Diabetic Living USA – July 2019

hyllisa Deroze is no stranger to the
benefi ts of gratitude in the face of
adversity. “When you have diabe-
tes, you’re constantly bombarded
with opportunities to feel like a failure, which means
you’re always dealing with negative feelings,” she
says. Deroze, a global diabetes advocate and aca-
demic in Pompano, Florida, was diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes eight years agoabout two months
aft er she lost her house and
everything she owned in
a tornado. “Embracing a
spirit of gratitude can help
you stay grounded and fi nd
positivity in a day fi lled with
the opposite.”
It’s that ray of hope that’s
made gratitude an anchor in
Lauren Bongiorno’s life too.
Living with type 1 diabetes
for almost 20 years has af-
fected her mentally as much
as physically. Yet through a
regular yoga practice, she’s
learned that it’s healthy to
acknowledge and sit with uncomfortable feelings
instead of pushing them away. The trouble occurs
when those draining feelings linger. “I know I need
to make a shift , and coming back to gratitude is the
fastest way to change your state of mind,” says Bon-
giorno, a virtual health coach and author of Th e Dia-
betic Health Journal.
It’s common sensegiving or receiving thanks
can make you feel good. But as they say, the proof is
in the pudding. A 2017 research review found that,
psychologically, being grateful has been linked with
enhanced feelings of vitality, hope, optimism, and life
satisfaction. In one study from this review, people
who wrote down the things that they were grateful
for reported fewer symptoms of physical illness, had
bett er quality sleep, and spent more time exercising
than those who thought of hassles or daily events.
How can a mere feeling enhance these facets of
health and well-being? For starters, gratitude broadens

your ability to think in creative ways and spurs you to

build up resources, including relationships. “When you

feel positive emotions, you tend to be motivated to ap-

proach other people and bond with others around you,”

says Stephen Yoshimura, Ph.D., a professor of com-

munication studies at the University of Montana and

a co-author of the 2017 review. Surrounding yourself

with people who can be there when you need them not

only lessens feelings of loneliness, it also makes you feel

like you matt er to other peo-

ple. And that’s key. “When

you believe that you matter

to others, you’re often mo-

tivated to take bett er care of

yourself,” he says. For exam-

ple, you might be more likely

to eat mindfully and check

your blood sugar regularly

when you know that others

care about you.

Secondly, when you open

yourself up to experiencing

gratitude, you increase the

quality of your relation-

ships with other people.

“If you know you have people you can turn to for

help, it can make life feel easier and help ease stress,”

says Yoshimura.

Make gratitude a daily practice.

Fortunately, everybody is born with the capacity to

feel gratitude. Yet the way you express it and the in-

tensity to which you express it will depend on how

you were raised, explains Yoshimura.

Regardless of your upbringing, though, you can

always work on being more grateful in your daily

life. While a gratitude journalwhere you write

down things you’re grateful for during the dayis

certainly an eff ective strategy, that’s not the only

thing you can do. Read on for seven other strategies

to help you cultivate gratefulness. 

P

FALL 2019 / DI ABETIC LI VING 57

A simple practice of

giving thanks can help

you reframe & reset.

BY KAREN ASP

ILLUSTRATIONS LAURA PACHECO