Gratitude and Mental Health; a double edge sword
Many believe that Gratitude will cure clinical depression. But that is not the complete picture.
Clinical Depression (MDD) is not about being ungrateful or lacking willpower. Clinically speaking, the acute symptoms besides low mood and reduction in energy and interest include intense feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness—excessive or out-of-context guilt and a bleak future.
When individuals with clinical depression get an opportunity or hear a piece of good news worth being happy too, given the situation is different, it is legitimately tough for them to screen in the positive aspects. This process is not under willful or conscious control.
Unfortunately, the gratitude narrative and willpower inference ignore unconscious emotions' intricate and influential role in the brain. It does not recognize the critical importance of neurobiological processes for comprehending the world moment by moment. While such statements might be well-intended, they often have the effect of restricting emotional room. The person starts to believe that it's not okay to feel sad, disappointed, or angry when we have so much to be grateful for.
Now, practising Gratitude is seen as the life orientation approach and is pretty popular in the positive psychology movement (PPM). PPM is all about positive thoughts and behaviours, virtues such as optimism, hope, and strengths to treat and protect against pathology. One of these virtues is Gratitude. Commonly recommended gratitude interventions are three Good Things & gratitude visits.
Unfortunately, asking someone who already feels depressed and anxious to be more grateful most likely won’t result in the changes we would want to see. This advice could help those who are I. stressful times but can not be a substitute for evidence-based clinical interventions, especially when someone is feeling clinically depressed and anxious.
There is no doubt there are benefits to practising Gratitude. There's evidence that those with this trait have a lower likelihood of mental health problems and better relationships. The problem is when we turn Gratitude into a self-help tool as an alternative to intense clinical work. Gratitude can't fix everything!
The saying is, "Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgiving."
But let’s face reality and call a spade a spade. Putting on a brave face for the occasion and festivities may seem like an easy way out and feel like the most straightforward option in the short term. However when you add it all up, you realize the burden of guilt, resentment and loneliness that comes with emotional pain becomes less of a sprint and more of an emotional marathon.
So one must know their pace and learn to navigate through the times of feeling not so grateful. The important thing is that no one can negate one's right to return to Gratitude. In fact, by nourishing oneself in a nonjudgmental space for unusual feelings, one might start to experience a different kind of authenticity and claim Gratitude when ready.
This state of mind deepens the ability to feel and acknowledge emotions, which will help embrace the capacity to practice Gratitude and all of the benefits that come with it.
Good read: How to be grateful without invalidating feelings How to Be Grateful Without Ignoring How You Feel
