The Pain-Healing Power of Gratitude
- Cindy Perlin, LCSW
- Dec 5, 2025
- 8 min read
As Thanksgiving week arrives, many of us naturally turn our attention to gratitude, reflecting on the people, comforts, and moments that make life feel a little brighter. But while this season invites thankfulness, the real power of gratitude comes from weaving it into everyday life, not just once a year.
For pain patients especially, cultivating even small moments of gratitude can gently support the nervous system, lift mood, ease stress, and create a greater sense of steadiness throughout the year. In other words, Thanksgiving may remind us to be grateful, but practicing gratitude daily can become a quiet, steady source of healing long after the holiday is over.
Living with chronic pain can make your world feel very small. When everything hurts, it’s hard to feel thankful for anything and being told to “just be positive” can feel infuriating and invalidating.
Gratitude is not about pretending your pain isn’t real or “looking on the bright side” while you suffer. It is a way to gently shift your nervous system, your mood, and even your pain levels by noticing what is still supporting you, even on the hardest days.
This article will walk you through:
What gratitude is
How it helps physically and emotionally (including research in chronic pain)
Everyday things many Americans have to be grateful for but take for granted
Simple gratitude practices and affirmations tailored for people in pain
What is gratitude?
The true meaning of gratitude is more than just saying "thank you"; it's a deep, often spiritual or philosophical appreciation for the good things in life, both large and small, and a practice of acknowledging and accepting the gifts we receive from others and life itself. It involves shifting your mindset to focus on what you have, which can lead to greater well-being, stronger relationships, and a more optimistic outlook.
Robert Emmons, one of the leading researchers in this field, sums it up by saying that gratitude “heals, energizes, and transforms lives.”
Gratitude is not denial. You can be in severe pain and still be grateful that:
Someone drove you to an appointment
Someone reached out to ask how you’re doing
Your dog curled up next to you
Pain and gratitude can exist in the same moment. In fact, for many people with chronic pain, gratitude becomes a counterweight, something that doesn’t erase pain but helps keep it from swallowing everything.
How gratitude affects your body and your pain
Gratitude and the stress–pain cycle
Chronic pain and chronic stress feed each other. Pain increases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline; stress, in turn, amplifies pain sensitivity, tightens muscles, and disrupts sleep.
Gratitude practices have been shown to:
Lower perceived stress
Improve sleep
Support healthier nervous system regulation
Over time, this can ease how intensely pain is experienced, even if the underlying condition hasn’t changed.
A 2024 study of physical therapy patients found that higher gratitude was associated with lower pain severity and less interference of pain in daily life, partly because grateful people reported lower stress.
Another research project with people who had chronic pain found that those assigned to keep a daily gratitude journal slept about 30 minutes longer per night than those who did not. Envive Healthcare Better sleep alone can reduce pain intensity, fatigue, and emotional distress.
Gratitude and chronic pain specifically
Research in people with chronic pain has found:
On days when people with chronic pain felt less grateful than usual, they reported more pain, more fatigue, and more negative emotions. Psychology Today
In older adults with chronic low back pain, gratitude acted as a protective resource, linked to better psychological functioning and coping.
So while gratitude won’t magically cure pain, it can:
Turn down the volume on pain perception
Make pain less dominating mentally
Improve energy, sleep, and mood enough that you can do a bit more of what matters to you
Broader physical health benefits of gratitude
Gratitude doesn’t just affect pain; it influences overall health:
A large study reviewed by Harvard found that people with the highest levels of gratitude had about a 9% lower risk of death over four years, even after accounting for physical health and finances.
Medical centers like Mayo Clinic and the American Heart Association note that regular gratitude practice is associated with better sleep, improved mood and immunity, and lower depression, anxiety, chronic pain complaints, and disease risk.
For someone living with chronic pain, all of these effects, even if modest, matter.
The emotional healing power of gratitude
Gratitude also works on the emotional side of pain, where loneliness, grief, and fear often live. Studies show that gratitude is linked with:
Less depression and anxiety
More optimism and hope
Stronger relationships and social support
A greater sense of meaning and purpose
Brother David Steindl-Rast put it this way: “It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” You don’t have to wait until life feels good to practice gratitude. Gratitude, practiced consistently, can create more moments of peace and even joy inside a life that still contains pain.
Everyday things many Americans have but usually take for granted
When you’re hurting, it can be infuriating to hear, “Well, at least you have it better than other people.” This article is not about minimizing your suffering.
But sometimes, expanding the lens can help your brain notice that, alongside your pain, you also have real sources of support and safety that are worth honoring.
Here are a few things many people in the United States have that many people globally don’t.
1. Living in a country that is not an active war zone
You may not feel safe emotionally or medically, but most Americans are not waking to sirens, shelling, or drones overhead. Globally, nearly 2 billion people, about one-quarter of the world’s population, live in countries affected by conflict and fragility, where violence and instability are part of daily life.
By the end of 2024, about 123 million people had been forcibly displaced by persecution, conflict, or human rights violations. Many are refugees or internally displaced within war-torn regions.
Gratitude reflection (without comparison or shame): “Even though I am struggling, I am grateful that bombs are not falling on my neighborhood and that I can go to sleep without listening for explosions.”
2. Electricity at the flip of a switch
Think about everything pain-related that depends on electricity:
Heating pads, TENS units, and medical devices
Refrigeration for certain medications
Lights that allow you to move safely at night
The ability to charge your phone and connect to supportive people or information
Yet around 730 million people still had no access to electricity in 2024, nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide.
Gratitude reflection: “I am grateful that, with one switch, I can turn on light or power a device that helps me cope with pain.”
3. Clean drinking water
When you live in a place where water comes out of a tap, it’s easy to forget how extraordinary that is.
In 2024, about 2.2 billion people (more than one in four people on Earth) still lacked safe drinking water at home.
For many, getting water means walking long distances, carrying heavy containers (often with painful or untreated health conditions), and sometimes drinking water that still makes them sick.
Gratitude reflection: “I am grateful that, even with my pain, I can turn a handle and have safe water to drink and use for bathing.”
4. Relatively safe, paved roads and emergency services
Roads may feel dangerous or frustrating, but most U.S. roads are paved, navigable year-round, and supported by 911 systems, traffic laws, and emergency services.
Worldwide, about 1.19 million people die each year in road traffic crashes, and over 90% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where roads and enforcement are often far less safe.
Gratitude reflection: “I am grateful that ambulances, paved roads, and traffic systems exist where I live, even if they’re not perfect.”
5. Access to a vehicle (or someone who has one)
Chronic pain often makes walking or standing difficult, which means transportation is freedom, the freedom to reach doctors, groceries, friends, and nature.
Globally, there are roughly 1.4–1.5 billion vehicles for over 8 billion people — only about 17% of the world’s population has a vehicle.
In the United States, about 91.7% of households have at least one vehicle, meaning only 8.3% do not.
Gratitude reflection:
If you have a car: “I am grateful that I (or my household) have a vehicle so I can get to care and meet my basic needs.”
If you don’t, but someone helps: “I’m grateful for the people and services that help me get where I need to go.”
Gratitude practices for people in pain
You do not need to feel inspired, spiritual, or cheerful to do this. Think of gratitude as gentle nervous system training rather than “forced positivity.”
Start tiny. Choose one practice that feels doable and adapt it to your reality.
1. The 60-second “Micro Gratitude Reset”
Use this during a pain flare, a long wait, or when you feel overwhelmed.
Pause and breathe
Take three slow breaths, longer on the exhale than the inhale.
Name three specific things you’re grateful for right now
Example:
“This chair is supporting my body.”
“I have medication/water within reach.”
“I have a roof over my head while I ride this out.”
Let your body feel it for 10–15 seconds each
Notice: Does your jaw unclench a little? Do your shoulders drop slightly? That’s your nervous system shifting.
Doing this a few times a day can gradually reduce overall tension and reactivity.
2. A gratitude list just for your body
When you’re in pain, your body can feel like the enemy. This exercise helps you notice what is still working for you.
Try writing (or dictating into your phone):
“Even though my [body part] hurts, I am grateful that my lungs are breathing for me.”
“I am grateful that my heart keeps beating without me thinking about it.”
“I am grateful my eyes let me read or watch things that bring comfort.”
“I am grateful my hands can still hold a cup, pet an animal, or send a text.”
You are allowed to be furious with your pain and still honor the parts of your body that work hard for you every day.
3. Daily “three good things” (pain-adapted version)
At the end of the day, write down or say out loud three small things that were good, even on a bad day.
Examples:
“The nurse was kind to me.”
“My friend answered my text when I needed someone.”
“The warm shower eased my muscles for a few minutes.”
“I laughed at a silly video.”
Research shows that doing this for just a few weeks can improve mood and well-being, sometimes with effects that last months.
4. Gratitude letters or messages
Choose one person who has helped you — a doctor who listened, a neighbor who brought food, a friend who believed you.
Write a short note, email, or text: “I want you to know I’m grateful for ______ and how it helped me.”
You don’t have to send it every time, but sending some of them strengthens connection, a powerful buffer against pain-related isolation.
Gratitude that is expressed tends to create a ripple effect: stronger support, better relationships, more kindness coming back.
Gratitude affirmations for pain patients
You can repeat these silently, write them on sticky notes, or record them in your own voice.
Choose only the ones that feel true enough to say without gritting your teeth.
“My life still contains goodness, even when my body hurts.”
“I can honor my pain and also notice what supports me.”
“Today I will look for one small thing to be grateful for.”
“I am grateful for the people and tools that help me get through hard days.”
“I appreciate my body for all it does to keep me alive, even when it doesn’t feel the way I want it to.”
“Gratitude doesn’t mean my pain is okay; it means I’m choosing to notice what helps me survive it.”
“Each time I practice gratitude, I’m giving my brain and body a tiny dose of relief.”
A closing thought
Gratitude is not a cure, and it does not erase the injustice, trauma, or heartbreak of chronic pain. But it is one of the few tools that:
Costs nothing
Can be practiced anywhere or anytime: in bed, in a waiting room, or during a flare
Has real scientific support for easing pain’s emotional and physical burden
You deserve every possible source of relief: medical care, holistic treatments, social support and the quiet, stubborn power of gratitude.
Even if today you can only say, “I’m grateful I made it through this day,” that’s a beginning.
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This article originally appeared on the Alternative Pain Treatment Directory: https://www.paintreatmentdirectory.com/posts/the-pain-healing-power-of-gratitude
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