Ep: 195 The Gratitude-Resilience Connection: Building Mental Strength Through Thankfulness

What if a few quiet moments each day could help your child bounce back faster, sleep more easily, and feel steadier in their own skin? In this episode we share a few ways that gratitude can flip the nervous system from fight-or-flight into rest-and-digest. Drawing from research at UCLA, USC, and studies by Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, we connect the dots between gratitude, emotional regulation, resilience, and long-term health.

I walk through the brain science in clear, friendly language: where gratitude lights up neural networks and why that matters for stressed families, and how parasympathetic activation invites better focus and calmer choices. Then we get practical. You’ll learn the Three Moments ritual that fits in the car, at dinner, or before bed, plus Three Happy Things And One Thank You—scripts kids and teens will actually answer. We show how to blend gratitude with one strength-based question so children name something hard and how they got through it, building a durable narrative of resilience.

You’ll also hear why a simple gratitude jar can anchor the habit on tough days, how ending on a high note supports sleep, and what studies say about benefits like improved immune function and lower inflammation. We close with a short guided pause so you can feel gratitude soften your body in real time. No perfection required—consistency, warmth, and low pressure make this work.

If this episode brings a little more ease to your home, share it with another parent who needs a calm boost, then subscribe, leave a review, and join the email list for more research-backed tools you can use today.

Sources:

Systematic Review on Physical Health Outcomes PubMed

UCLA Health – Health Benefits of Gratitude UCLA Health

Greater Good Science Center (Berkeley) – Gratitude and Sleep / Inflammation Greater Good

Meta-Analysis on Psychological Well-Being Proof Positive

Randomized Controlled Trial (6-Month Follow-Up) SpringerLink

Original Experimental Gratitude Study (McCullough & Emmons) wisebrain.org

Physiological / Biomarker Evidence AHP

Behavioral/Relationship Benefits Greater Good

Lindsay Miller is a distinguished kids mindfulness coach, mindfulness educator and host of The Stress Nanny Podcast. She is known for her suitcase tricks and playful laugh. When she's not cheering on her daughter or rollerblading on local trails with her husband, you can find her using her 20+ years of child development study and mindfulness certification to dream up new ways to get kids excited about deep breathing. Having been featured on numerous podcasts, platforms and publications, Lindsay’s words of wisdom are high impact and leave a lasting impression wherever she goes.

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