By Shelby Peck | Copy Editor
As students near the end of the fall semester, stress only seems to increase, as does the number of assignments and longing for the holidays. In the busyness of the fall, students might be overlooking one practice that has the potential to greatly improve their mental well-being: gratitude.
“There are tons of studies that suggest that gratitude is correlated with lower depression, lower anxiety and increased psychological well-being, as well as increased physical well-being,” Dr. Jo-Ann Tsang, associate professor of psychology, said. “It’s got some good cardiovascular health effects. It helps with sleep quality, which then helps with some other physical health well- being effects. So it’s definitely something worth studying.”
Tsang, who researches gratitude from a social-psychological standpoint, said many studies revolving around gratitude interventions suggest gratitude has a stronger effect on one’s well-being when actually communicated to other people, such as through writing gratitude letters.
“You deliver the letter, and this has a really big positive effect on well-being,” Tsang said. “People just feel really connected and really happy, and they’ve even found that if you don’t write a big letter, but even just texting people three times a day to tell someone that you’re grateful for them or thank you for this or whatever has a bigger social effect than just thinking about what you’re grateful for.”
Tsang said one of the biggest challenges people impose on themselves when communicating gratitude is the fear of what others may think. However, she said a 2018 study revealed the recipients don’t feel awkward at all; rather, they are thankful.
“When I think about thanking somebody, it’s going to feel to me like it’s really awkward and that I’m going to do something wrong and that I’m not going to say it the right way, but that’s not what people care about,” Tsang said. “Not only does that have a good effect on my well- being, but it strengthens my relationship with those people.”
In her personal life, Tsang creates her own gratitude lists because they can bring about change even when only written once a week or so.
“I feel if I try and remember to do it every day, then I get it maybe every other day,” Tsang said. “This changes the way you scan the environment. You’re kind of on the lookout for positive things, and that also affects your well-being.”
Throughout her time interacting with students, Tsang said she often notices their heightened stress. She said she is especially grateful for the expansion of the Baylor Counseling Center after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the biggest changes over the years has been the ability to reduce any type of stigma, and I think students are much more willing to take care of themselves in that way, which I think is great,” Jim Marsh, dean of student health and wellness and executive director for counseling services, said. “It’s what we ought to be doing.”
Marsh said mental health challenges during the holiday season look different for every student. Some are able to travel home and get some well-deserved rest, while others may be experiencing trials within their families or are unable to travel home because of the distance.
“For most students, they’re looking forward to [the holidays]. For most students, it’s a break from school. I think it’s a chance to catch up on some sleep. It’s a chance to see family. So I think for many students, it’s a good thing,” Marsh said. “For some, the holidays are not the best time. There are a variety of different challenges that exist — something that’s going on with their family or other challenges associated with the holidays.”
Marsh said he encourages students to practice gratitude throughout the holidays by setting aside time to make gratitude lists and write thank-you cards.
“In general, most people, our culture, we tend to operate from what I’ll call a deficit model,” Marsh said. “We tend to look at life from what’s wrong or what’s not going well. And we always want to fix that, right? We just do that. We don’t even have to think about it.”
However, Marsh said it is essential to give equal time to “things that are going well.”
“We need to think about it all the time because you have to be intentional to think that way,” Marsh said. “You have to be intentional to think about gratitude. We very naturally go to the other part.”
Marsh said the goal of Student Health and Wellness is to remind students there are many services available to help them take care of their mental well-being.
“We believe there are a lot of things that people can do proactively, upstream if you will, just taking care of their health in general — whether that be good sleep, exercise, whatever that might be — that can be a buffer or protective against other challenges,” Marsh said.
