Mental health tip: Receiving gratitude

Most of us have heard the advice: keep a gratitude journal, write a thank-you letter, name three good things before bed. And the research behind those practices is real. But there is a side of gratitude that gets far less attention — and that may matter just as much.


Receiving gratitude.


Recent research suggests that being on the receiving end of genuine appreciation — truly taking it in rather than deflecting it — activates something meaningful. It can inspire continued generosity, deepen a sense of belonging, and shift our orientation from individual wellbeing toward care for the collective. Studies on collective gratitude, as distinct from personal gratitude practice, find that when groups experience and express appreciation together, they build a resilience that extends beyond any one person.


For many people — especially those drawn to caregiving and service — receiving is the harder skill. Deflecting a compliment, minimizing a contribution, moving quickly past acknowledgment: these are habits that can quietly erode the very connections gratitude is meant to build. Easier said than done, right? 


This season, consider practicing the reception of gratitude. When someone expresses appreciation, try pausing before the reflexive “oh, it was nothing.” Try to let it land. Notice what it feels like to be seen. Discomfort is information. That moment of genuine exchange — gratitude offered and actually received — is where connection deepens, and where the cycle of generosity renews itself. 


So let’s give it a try: thank YOU for being part of Walk-In. You really do matter. 

For more on the science of gratitude and collective wellbeing, visit the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.

Free, anonymous, no-appointment-needed counseling is available every weekday at Walk-In Counseling Center during clinic hours: By computer/phone MTWTh 5:30-7:30 pm, and in person or by computer/phone MWF 1-3 pm. For instructions on how to visit a clinic, click here.