Researchers consistently find that gratitude builds resilience. A 2006 study published in Behavior Research and Therapy found that Vietnam War veterans with higher levels of appreciativeness experienced lower rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A 2003 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that gratitude was a major contributor to resilience following the terrorist attacks on September 11.
To test this in real life, I decided a few years ago that my New Year’s resolution would be to write a thank you note every workday to a colleague to whom I was grateful. Here's what I learned:
My Resilience Improved
Spending a few minutes every day thinking about how colleagues helped me gave me a much more positive outlook. It forced me to focus on the positive events of the day, minimizing annoyances or irritations. Writing down my appreciation helped me clarify why I was grateful.
It Was Hard
I underestimated how much self-discipline I needed to spend 5-10 minutes every workday thinking about whom I would send a thank you note. It was easy to get absorbed in my work and forget to write a card. To stay on track, I posted reminder notes and put the cards where I would see them.
Having a Routine Helped
At the beginning of the year, I kept forgetting to write my cards because I hadn't set a time of day during which I would write. After trying several options, I settled on writing a card at the beginning of each day. I created a recurring calendar entry as a reminder. The added value was that I started each day thinking positively about everything people had done the day before to help me.
People Love Personalized Cards
I printed cards in bulk on moo.com using photographs I had taken. By personalizing the cards, I made a connection I had not anticipated with recipients. Recipients wanted to learn more about where I’d taken my photos and were glad to see I had a passion outside of work. These cards ended up being much more impactful than cards I bought at a stationery store.
Team Resilience Improved
One significant benefit of this practice was that people loved receiving a handwritten thank you note. I realized that I was fostering team resilience by showing consideration to colleagues, one of the 7Cs of team resilience. Members of my team appreciated that I was taking the time to say thank you and commenting on their positive impact.
Consider giving this a try in 2021 and tell me in the blog comments how it goes.
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