Gratitude Doesn't Live in a Journal—It Lives in Your Life

I'll be honest with you: I'm terrible at writing down the things I'm grateful for. There, I said it. As a health coach who knows all the research about gratitude journals and their benefits, I still can't seem to make that daily writing practice stick. The blank pages stare at me. The words don't come.

But here's what I've learned: gratitude doesn't have to live in a journal. It can live in your morning walk. In the freezing cold air that makes your cheeks tingle. In the sound of your footsteps crunching on fallen leaves. In the exact moment you realize you're alive, your body is moving, and despite everything—you're here with an opportunity gifted to you!

Finding Gratitude in Motion

Every morning, I lace up my shoes and head out for my daily walk. This is where my gratitude practice happens. Not with pen and paper, but with my eyes wide open, looking for things that make me happy. What do I see? The way the frost sparkles on the grass when the sun hits it just right. A neighbor's dog bounding toward me with pure, uncomplicated joy. The way the clouds form over the sunrise and the beautiful colors painted across the sky.

What do I hear? Birds that haven't migrated yet, somehow still singing in winter. The quiet crunch of gravel under my feet. The sound of my own steady breathing—strong, capable, alive.

What do I feel? The burn in my muscles reminds me I'm getting stronger. The wind on my face makes me want to laugh out loud. The lightness in my chest when I notice something beautiful that I've walked past a hundred times but never really noticed until today. These moments light a fire in me. They make me want to skip down the road or sing at the top of my lungs—and sometimes, I do exactly that.

The Gym Walkway Concert

Just the other day, I was walking out of the gym with my AirPods in, music blaring. I felt GOOD. That post-workout high where your body is humming with endorphins and everything feels possible. As I walked through the covered walkway, I noticed something: the acoustics were stellar. Not good. Not decent. Stellar. My high school show choir friends would be impressed!

So I did what any reasonable perimenopausal woman would do—I sang as loud as I possibly could! Did I care that a guy was walking up to the gym and could clearly hear me belting out lyrics to music only I could hear? Absolutely not. He heard my concert. He didn't hear my soundtrack. And you know what? I hope it made him smile.

Because that moment—that unguarded, uninhibited, joyful moment was pure gratitude. Gratitude for a body that just completed a workout. For lungs that could fill with air and project sound (even if it was really out of tune)! For the confidence to not care what anyone thinks. For being alive and feeling it fully.

The Science Still Matters

Now, before you think I'm dismissing all that research on gratitude journals, let me be clear: the science is powerful. A 2024 study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that people with gratitude scores in the highest third showed a 9% lower risk of dying in the next four years compared to those in the bottom third. That's not about feeling good, that's about living longer.

Research shows that gratitude releases dopamine and serotonin, which help reduce anxiety and depression. Studies found that practicing gratitude just 15 minutes a day, five days a week, for at least six weeks can enhance mental wellness and possibly promote a lasting change in perspective.

Keeping a gratitude journal has been linked to a significant drop in diastolic blood pressure, and gratitude helps calm the nervous system, bringing down blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing for overall relaxation. For those of you who love journaling, keep doing it! The science proves it works. But for those of us who don't, there's another way.

A Message to Perimenopausal Women: Slow Down and Look Up

If you're in perimenopause or navigating menopause, I need you to hear this: You are doing SO MUCH right now. You're raising children or watching them launch into the world and figuring out who you are without them needing you every second. You're supporting aging parents who now need you in ways that break your heart and test your limits. You're expanding career opportunities or fighting to stay relevant in a world that sometimes makes you feel invisible. You're holding it all together mentally and physically while your hormones are literally rewriting your body's instruction manual.

You are juggling more than any human should have to juggle. And somehow, you're still standing. So here's what I am giving you PERMISSION to do: Slow down. Take a deep breath. And know that gratitude doesn't have to be one more thing on your impossible to-do list.

Gratitude in the Wild

Gratitude can happen while you're already doing what you need to do. It can happen during the activities that save your sanity and keep your body strong.

Explore nature around you. Not a three-hour hike (unless that sounds amazing). Just step outside. Notice one tree. One bird. One cloud. That counts. That's gratitude in motion.

Hop in the car for a trip to a beautiful overlook. Put on music that makes you feel alive and drive to somewhere that takes your breath away. Sit there for five minutes. Breathe it in. That's your gratitude practice.

Hike a trail to see a gorgeous view. The climb is hard. Your legs burn. Your lungs work. And then you reach the top and see something that makes every step worth it. That moment, that's gratitude.

Hop on a pair of skis and feel the wind as you slide to the bottom. Or grab a sled and launch yourself down a local neighborhood hill, laughing like you did when you were ten years old. The rush, the speed, the pure joy, that's gratitude coursing through your veins.

Life Is Meant to Be Lived All Out

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned to shrink. To be quiet. To be practical. To stop singing in gym walkways and sledding down hills and dancing in grocery store aisles. But life is meant to be lived all out. Not carefully. Not quietly. Not waiting for someday when everything is perfect. Now. Today. In this body that's changing and strong and capable of so much more than you give it credit for.

Be Grateful for What Your Body CAN Do

This is the heart of it, really. Gratitude isn't about pretending everything is perfect or ignoring the hard parts. It's about recognizing what's still working. What's still possible. What you can still do.

Your body might not look like it did at twenty-five. It might not respond the way it used to. But look at what it CAN do:

• It can walk. Run. Move through space.

• It can lift weights and build strength.

• It can ski down mountains or sled down hills.

• It can sing at the top of its lungs in gym walkways.

• It can hike to beautiful views and stand in awe.

• It can hold your children, care for your parents, and show up for your work.

• It can feel cold air on skin and sunshine on face.

• It can experience joy, pleasure, connection, and wonder.

That's not nothing. That's everything.

Your Gratitude Practice, Your Way

Here's my challenge to you: Find your own gratitude practice. Maybe it's journaling—and if that works for you, beautiful. Keep going. But maybe it's not. Maybe it's:

• A morning walk where you deliberately look for things that make you smile

• A drive to a scenic overlook once a week

• A dance party in your kitchen while making dinner

• Singing in your car with the windows down

• Hiking a trail that challenges you and rewards you with views

• Winter activities that make you feel like a kid again

• Noticing three good things while brushing your teeth at night

• Taking one minute before bed to think about what made you laugh today

  
  

There's no wrong way to practice gratitude. There's only YOUR way.

The Bottom Line

Life during perimenopause is hard. Your body is changing. Your roles are shifting. The demands on you are relentless. But you're still here. You're still capable. You're still strong. And there are still moments, small, fleeting, beautiful moments that make you want to sing at the top of your lungs. Those moments are your gratitude practice. Notice them. Feel them. Let them fill you up. And if writing them down helps, wonderful. But if not? Live them instead.

Be grateful for what your body can do. For the wind on your face. For the trails you can still hike. For the hills you can still sled down. For the life that's still yours to live—all out, full volume, without apology. That's gratitude. And it doesn't need a journal. It just needs you to show up, eyes open, ready to see the beauty that's already there.

As a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach, I help perimenopausal women navigate this challenging season with practical strategies that fit into real life—not perfect life. If you're struggling to find joy, energy, or yourself during this transition, I'm here. Let's work together to create a personalized approach that honors where you are and helps you rediscover what lights your fire. Reach out to book a free introductory session @ Book Online | Shilling Health