Gratitude may help some people notice what supports them during stress. It is neither an obligation to feel happy nor a guaranteed anxiety treatment. You can appreciate a small kindness while admitting that the day was difficult. Here we review published research and offer an optional reflection; Rouhalkown did not conduct the study.
What did the research find?
A randomized trial published on 14 January 2025 included 120 university students. Three weeks of varied gratitude-app exercises were compared with a monitoring-only app. A depression, anxiety and stress symptom measure improved in a subgroup with at least moderate initial symptoms, but not across the full sample. Attrition, the short period and absence of an alternative exercise comparator limit interpretation. We reviewed the PubMed abstract and the full text’s methods, results and limitations. [1]
Audit note: the abstract reports 93 complete datasets, while the full text lists 16 and 15 participants lost to follow-up out of 120: 31 rather than 27. These counts do not reconcile, so we do not treat the completion total as settled. Full study text
This does not establish that writing one line reduces anxiety, or that everyone needs an app. The program combined activities; its findings are not an individual promise. An older NIH educational article, from March 2019, also emphasizes that gratitude practice suits some people and does not work for everyone. [2]
A small reflection, not an emotional test
Our optional editorial suggestion is not the study protocol. Choose one real detail that supported you today and write how it helped. For example: “A colleague explained a step I did not understand, making the task clearer.” You can add: “I am still worried about the deadline.” Both sentences can be true. You do not have to make the day sound better than it was.
If nothing comes to mind, leave the page. Avoid making it a compulsory list or a comparison with people who have suffered more. Afterward, ask whether the reflection opened a different perspective or added pressure. You can change it or stop. This checks whether a practice fits you; it is not a medical measurement of effectiveness.
If anxiety persists and disrupts daily life, professional support matters more than forcing positivity. Explore accepting stress without giving in to it for related reading. Rouhalkown, an Arabic book (Arabic page), offers a reflective and philosophical approach to presence and meaning; these research findings do not establish benefits specific to the book.