According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the fall season is an ideal time to release old patterns and issues and implement healthier habits. Feeling and expressing gratitude for your life and your circumstances go hand in hand with the motivation to work toward a more vibrant state of being. This not only benefits you, but it also helps those around you to the highest degree.
Gratitude is more than just a positive emotion — it is a mindset and a way of life that can bring about many health benefits. A fast-growing body of studies have linked feelings of gratitude with improved physiological and psychological well-being, including:¹
- Lowered stress hormones
- Reduced cellular inflammation
- Balanced immunity
- Increased resiliency
- Enhanced areas of the brain related to empathy and emotional processing
- Better sleep and increased energy levels
- Healthier eating habits
- Happiness, positive mood, and increased satisfaction with life
- More patience and humility
As you can imagine, negative emotions, such as pessimism and resentment, have the opposite effect on our health — for example, research shows they can fuel inflammation, damage DNA, speed up the aging process, and increase chronic disease risk.² ³
Finding Motivation and Gratitude Amid Challenge
Practicing appreciation is easier when things are going well in our lives. But what about those challenging times when nothing seems to be going right? It is during these difficult moments that cultivating gratitude becomes even more important. By finding joy in the little things and appreciating what we do have — despite chaos or feelings of hopelessness — we can shift our perspective.
The Peeling Process
Having said that, it’s equally important not to identify ourselves with our crises — and not to internalize our suffering, which only makes things more painful. Remember, you are not your illness/condition/circumstance.
One way to move through such challenges is to allow our feelings to flow freely without overindulging them. Begin to experience it as a “peeling process,” where layers of obstructions and distractions seem to peel away or vanish during a crisis, and our true essence can be revealed.
There is a very real truth to the philosophy that crisis presents an opportunity for growth and healing on all levels — physical, mental, emotional and psycho-spiritual. In fact, many people would not experience the same growth, or transformations, without such challenges.
It’s also important to note that finding motivation during challenging times doesn’t mean ignoring or suppressing our true feelings — it means being honest with ourselves about our frustrations and hardships while still finding the strength and resilience to move forward.
Frustration over our hardships is real and natural, and it’s important to recognize it without covering it up under a thin layer of positive thinking, just because people tell us to “keep a positive attitude.” Being honest with ourselves is the foundation for having authentic motivation.
By allowing ourselves to experience the full range of emotions and embracing the peeling process, we can uncover our inner truths and find opportunities for healing and growth.
The Energetics of Motivation
Gratitude also serves as a powerful motivator for personal growth and transformation. Living in a state of appreciation helps us tap into a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in our lives. It is through this that we find the motivation to work toward our own well-being and the well-being of others.
What are the motivating forces at work here? Part of giving rise to motivation is the recognition that all beings want the same thing.
We are all united by our natural fears and desires. We all want to be happy, and at the same time, we all experience suffering. It’s the truth of our existence.
As a meditation practitioner who teaches meditation to patients, health practitioners, and the general community, I always emphasize the importance of understanding that we are all united by our natural fears and desires. We all want to be happy, and at the same time, we all experience suffering. It’s the truth of our existence.
The goal for healing and growth is to liberate ourselves from our hopes and fears, to cut through our attachments and aversions, and to give rise to greater love and compassion. This in turn can generate authentic motivation to benefit ourselves and others.
Though it may seem contradictory, it is this sense of detachment from our “superficial” circumstances in life that can bring about a greater sense of presence and awareness of a much deeper, more profound state of being.
Then, of course, if we can heal ourselves, it inspires us to share it with others, like a bucket that is filled with water. So that’s part of giving rise to authentic motivation, and this comes from the heart.⁴ This detachment from our circumstances doesn’t mean denying or minimizing our challenges — it means recognizing that we are not defined by our illnesses or circumstances.
Inspiring Stories of Healing and Transformation
In my clinic, I am constantly inspired and deeply heartened by the courage, strength, and conviction of patients with life-threatening conditions to heal from their illnesses and transform themselves.
In the face of illness and adversity, many individuals have experienced a deeper appreciation for life, increased awareness, and a greater capacity for love and compassion. This shows that illness is not a failure but an opportunity for growth and self-discovery.
True healing is not just about following a specific health program— it is about tapping into our innate healing abilities and overflowing with unconditional love and gratitude, helping ourselves and everyone around us.
The Role of Liver, Heart, and Kidneys in Motivation
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver, heart and kidneys represent key organ systems related to our motivation to benefit others and improve ourselves.
Of all organs, the liver gets congested the fastest, accumulating toxins (including difficult emotions) and other metabolic byproducts and excesses. When we can open up the liver, through acupuncture, homeopathic injections, herbs, mind-body practices, etc., we can begin to experience freedom from our own afflictive physical, mental, and emotional issues.
The kidneys are directly connected to the heart and are associated with willpower, discipline, perseverance, and the perception of time. The kidneys also govern something called “timeless discipline,” which relates to understanding the impermanent, ever-changing quality of everything.
When we detoxify and strengthen our kidneys with acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, mind-body practices and other modalities, we can begin to experience true timelessness. This experience of timelessness, where anything and everything is possible, is when we can become real healers.
With strong kidneys and a strong kidney-heart connection, our aspiration to heal ourselves and others can manifest effortlessly. There is indeed a complete connection between the heart where we give rise to the genuine motivation to benefit ourselves and others, and the kidneys where we generate discipline and the understanding of the timelessness of everything.
This is a very deep place – one where authentic motivation originates from an energetic standpoint. By strengthening these organ connections, we can empower ourselves with stronger motivation, willpower, and perseverance to achieve our goals of health and wellness for ourselves and those around us.
Incorporating Gratitude into Your Life
Cultivating a gratitude practice doesn’t have to be complicated. It can start with simple daily rituals that help us shift our focus towards gratitude.
One powerful practice is to write down three things you are grateful for each day. This daily spiritual exercise allows you to review your life from a grateful heart and helps your mind, body, and spirit heal on every level.
In a 2018 study published in Psychotherapy Research that involved close to 300 adults, scientists asked one group of participants to write a gratitude letter every week for three weeks. Compared to the control group, those who put their feelings of gratitude to paper had significantly improved mental health after 12 weeks of writing.⁵
If you want to enhance your ability to experience gratitude, incorporate mindfulness and meditation into your routine. By grounding yourself in the present moment and adopting an attitude of openness and appreciation, you can cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude and well-being.
It is essential to find time for yourself and focus on your feelings and emotions. Whether it’s through meditation, taking a walk in nature, or engaging in self-care practices, giving yourself space to feel grateful can have a profound impact on your mental and emotional health.
True healing, regardless of the health program, is about uncovering greater love and compassion, thereby allowing our body’s innate healing capacities to arise and flourish. In this way, we overflow our cups with unconditional love, gratitude, and compassion for all beings, and effortlessly offer this healing energy to ourselves and everyone around us. And that’s something to be truly grateful for in life.
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Walking Barefoot — the Key to a Healthier and Happier Life
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Mind-Body-DNA: How Meditation Enhances Healing
Sources:
- Lilian Jans-Beken, Nele Jacobs, Mayke Janssens, et al. Gratitude and health: An updated review. The Journal of Positive Psychology. 2020; 15:6, 743-782.
- Pascoe, Michaela & Thompson, David & Ski, Chantal. Meditation and Endocrine Health and Wellbeing. Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2020;31.
- Scheier, MF, Swanson, JD, Barlow, MA, et al. Optimism versus pessimism as predictors of physical health: A comprehensive reanalysis of dispositional optimism research. Am Psychol. 2021 Apr;76(3):529-548.
- Man, Yea Ho, Everett Worthington, Richard Cowden, et al. International REACH Forgiveness Intervention: A Multi-Site Randomized Controlled Trail. Pre-print study, Forgiveness: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (April 20–22, 2023)
- Wong YJ, Owen J, Gabana NT, et al. Does gratitude writing improve the mental health of psychotherapy clients? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial. Psychother Res. 2018 Mar;28(2):192-202.
