Want to reduce your stress hormone levels, improve your cardiac function, reduce inflammation, improve sleep, slow down neurodegeneration and become more resilient? There’s a simple solution, backed by research, and it’s a practice you can do in the barn, office, truck or at home.
Practice gratitude
Science shows practicing gratitude lowers cortisol levels, can lead to long-term positive changes in the brain and put you in a better mood. Gratitude activates brain regions tied to reward, enhancing your feelings of contentment and emotional balance. If you practice proactively, it helps you manage the stress of dairying today.
You can start small. As one farmer pointed out, you don’t need a grand gesture. Make small choices to practice gratitude by bringing someone coffee, giving thanks for one thing you’re grateful for before you open your eyes in the morning, thanking another person for their work or sharing a sincere compliment daily.
Cultivating this habit goes beyond what some might consider fluff. The medical community calls gratitude a biological intervention because it lowers cortisol, boosts serotonin and rewires your nervous system.
Research shows regularly practicing gratitude can lead to long-term positive changes in the brain, supporting mental health and resilience – it helps us see the good in life and the people who make it better. It doesn’t just feel good in the moment; it actually has measurable effects on our brain and body; two gratitude activities (counting blessings and gratitude letter writing) reduced the risk of depression in at-risk patients by 41% over a six-month period.
Farmer Brian Corkill started telling people thank you for being a part of his life when he talks to them and says sometimes people are momentarily surprised but truly appreciate hearing that.
“It's important to consider the simple things to not only help you with your well-being, but others as well. We are largely lacking those touch points currently, or it certainly feels like that,” Corkill says.
Gratitude connects us, but how we express it might matter more than we think
Sarah Schnitker, a psychology and neuroscience professor at Baylor University, explores how practicing gratitude can lead to stronger relationships and greater well-being. Her lab found that gratitude expressed through prayer may offer even more benefits than journaling or speaking it, and that feeling connected to something larger may help combat today’s growing loneliness.
Former New York dairy farmer Tom Cassidy has experienced this.
“Years ago, I read that Benjamin Franklin started his day asking, ‘What good shall I do this day?’ and ending it by asking ‘What good have I done today?’ I added those thoughts to my morning and evening prayers. Soon I realized that purposely thinking about my own acts of goodness had me noticing acts of goodness from others,” Cassidy says.
10 tips to help you cultivate gratitude (you decide what works for you)
1. Keep a gratitude journal
Write down three things you are grateful for each day – this trains your mind to notice positives, increases happiness and lowers depressive symptoms over time. Keeping a gratitude diary for two weeks led to 28% drop in perceived stress and 15% less depression in one study on healthcare practitioners.
Sarah Zastrow says, “Every morning while my coffee is brewing, I write three good things that happened yesterday. I keep a little notebook by my coffee pot to make it easy to remember. I call this the 3D effect because it gives you a double dose of dopamine.”
2. Practice gratitude prayer or meditation
Spend a few minutes daily focusing on things, people or experiences you appreciate. Gratitude meditation enhances your emotional regulation, and prayer connects you to something bigger. Cassidy points out, “When I lead people in classes on prayer, they are often intimidated because the prayers they hear and read are usually by people who are professionals, or at the very least highly experienced. I think the practice of gratitude is often the same. They have no idea of the messy, quick and dirty prayers of my head and heart. You have to allow yourself the grace to be (or at least feel) weird and imperfect.”
3. Express appreciation to others
Regularly thank friends, family or co-workers in person, by note or digitally. Acknowledging others' kindness strengthens relationships and boosts positivity for all involved. Allison Purtrell offers an example of this. “I text a friend/family member in the moment to share a blessing of positive news along the philosophy of lucky person syndrome. The sense of community is a reinforcement for myself and friends/family to lift each other up and give thanks no matter what else might be going on.”
4. Create a gratitude jar
Write something you're thankful for on a slip of paper and deposit it in a jar. Review your collection whenever you need encouragement or perspective.
5. Reframe challenges as lessons
When facing setbacks, consciously reflect on what you can learn or how difficulties have contributed to your personal growth and resilience.
6. Set gratitude reminders
Schedule regular reminders (phone alarms or calendar events) to pause, notice and mentally list things you appreciate. Incorporate gratitude into your morning or bedtime routine.
7. Take gratitude walks
Go outside and intentionally appreciate your surroundings, such as the warmth of the sun, the sound of cows chewing or a sunrise. Gratitude for simple joys can improve your mood.
8. Be specific about your gratitude
When journaling or sharing appreciation, be detailed. Instead of "I'm grateful for my family," specify who and why – this deepens the sense of gratitude. Minnesota farmer Carolyn Olson posts 100 days of gratitude. “I post it on all my socials hoping to inspire others to think about things they are grateful for,” she says. It’s been a good reminder and a fun way to see inside her life through simple posts appreciating specific food, farming equipment, family members or friends.
9. Volunteer or help others
Give time or support to others in need. Acts of kindness foster a sense of connection and amplify gratitude for your own circumstances.
10. Visualize grateful moments
Regularly imagine and relive the details of moments, people or events you are thankful for. Visualization enhances positive feelings and helps you remain present. Small-business owner Kathy Adkins keeps rotating photos of favorite people and animals at her desk. When stress hits, she stops, looks at a picture and remembers a happy memory, and tells herself, “This too shall pass,” takes a breath and gets back to work. She now uses this strategy anywhere – like during a flat tire on the road.
Looking for ideas to build a culture of gratitude with your team?
- Start each day or work session by consciously identifying something you are grateful for related to your farm, crops, animals or the opportunity to work in agriculture.
- Write down and display clear goals tied to personal and business values to remind the team why their work matters, helping to maintain motivation and perspective amid challenges.
- Promote a gratitude culture among farmworkers by encouraging sharing thanks during meetings or daily routines to build community and resilience.
- Use gratitude-focused mindfulness exercises, such as pausing before a task to reflect on what has gone well or what you appreciate, to reduce stress.
- Connect with local resources like farm wellness programs or centers offering support, counseling and planning to help manage stress effectively.
These sources and strategies can help food and agriculture business professionals integrate gratitude into daily practice to improve mental health and stress management, as outlined by Extension at University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Intentional gratitude helps your brain
Why not take two minutes in your car, on a walk to the barn, or before you open your eyes in the morning to list a few things you’re grateful for? It will literally change your brain chemistry. Like cows in a low-stress environment develop better habits, practicing intentional gratitude calms your nervous system and helps pull you out of the negativity loop that can plague the dairy business.
Make this your year of cultivating gratitude.
References omitted but are available upon request by sending an email to the editor.
