In this 20‑minute video Dr. Emmett Miller explains why cultivating an attitude of gratitude is essential, especially during the stress‑filled COVID‑19 pandemic. He begins by describing the brain’s evolutionary negativity bias—how the limbic system and “monkey brain” prioritize danger, leading to chronic stress and depression when modern life bombards us with endless demands. Miller then cites research showing that optimism and gratitude correlate with stronger immune function, referencing a study of first‑year law students whose optimistic peers maintained higher white‑blood‑cell counts during exam stress. He argues that shifting activity from the limbic system to the prefrontal cortex can re‑wire chemistry toward optimism. The core of the video is a step‑by‑step guided gratitude meditation: finding a quiet space, breathing, visualizing a safe inner place, recalling recent moments of love, joy, or connection, and expanding the feeling of gratitude throughout the body, finally directing it toward a higher source of love. After the meditation, Miller offers concrete gratitude‑building habits—maintaining a gratitude journal, creating daily positive lists, and nightly reflections on new things to appreciate. He points viewers to additional resources (the Attitude of Gratitude meditation, Serenity Prayer, Healing Our Planet, Rainbow Butterfly) and the website drmiller.com/covid for supportive imagery. The talk closes with a reminder that gratitude must be shared, emphasizing compassion as a necessity for humanity’s survival.
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Hi, this is Dr. Emmett Miller, and today I'd like to share with you what I call the magic of an attitude of gratitude. You know, things seem to be happening so quickly these days, and I heard that Time is nature's way of keeping everything from happening at once, but I think something's off with time because it's almost as though things are happening all at once. And there's a tendency for stress to build up in this kind of situation. I mean, the endless stream of appointments, phone calls, emails, texts, bills to pay, relationships to attend to, and so many other things that need to be done. It continually distracts us from the all-important step of giving positive feedback and praise where it belongs. And one of the most important ways to do that is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. These days it seems to me that there are many people who only take time to experience gratitude on Thanksgiving, perhaps on Christmas. But the nature of how our minds and brains work is that many decisions need to be made by the unconscious level of our mind. And because that level, because that level of the mind, the limbic system, the paleocortex, the monkey brain, evolved into a world in which it always had to be on guard for danger. And so it developed a negative bias. In other words, it focuses much more on the dangers that it perceives around us. And the downside of what could go wrong, because this would have great survival value back in those days. But in this world today, especially at times like this, when we're dealing with a pandemic, with quarantines, sheltering in place, huge losses, it's easy to lose our way and succumb to the toxicity of stress and even depression. That can start a very bad spiral in the kinds of situations that we're in now. We need to be supportive of our environment inside and out. And one of the best ways to balance the scale and to return to homeostasis is to cultivate the attitude of gratitude. Now, there are many people who are blessed, blessed because they automatically feel gratitude for many things every day. But for the rest of us, it's important that we use our higher mind to cultivate the skill of gratitude. I mean our prefrontal cortex. When you do this, it causes the monkey mind to defocus from the negativity and helplessness. This actually changes the chemistry of your brain and your body as it creates feelings of optimism. There's some very interesting studies linking optimism to better immune function. In one, stressed-out first-year law students were studied at midterm. Now, there's some very interesting studies linking optimism to better immune function. In one, first-year law students were studied during the stress of midterm exams. Now, those students who were characterized as optimistic based on a survey response, maintained a higher number of white cells and therefore a stronger immune system compared with her more pessimistic classmates. So it's reasonable to expect that gratitude and optimism may be an important factor in maintaining our immune system to protect us from infection. Actually, you know, if you're alive, there are actually many more positives in your life than negatives. Even though you may not have noticed it. So what you really need to do is to make these known to your faithful unconscious mind, to really assume leadership in your life by touching the positive experiences of the recent past and connecting them to the deepest level of your being. A wise spiritual teacher once told me that if all you know is a single prayer of gratitude, then that's all you really need, for all the other prayers spoken of in all the teachings of all the prophets in the Holy Bible arise from that single prayer of gratitude. And so I'd like to offer you this meditation, or prayer if you wish it to be, in order to cultivate that attitude of gratitude. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for a little while. A comfortable place where you can sit or lie in a comfortable position, aware of the fact that there's nowhere else that you need to go at this moment. There's nothing that you have to do, and there's no problem that you have to solve. Take a deep breath in, and as you let it out, give your mind permission to gradually free itself of all distractions and become open to the rich resources that lie deep within you. To give yourself permission to become present now, allowing your focus to go within, focusing on your center in this present moment, spiraling in deeper, more centered on this breath. On this moment. And if you wish, allowing your eyelids to focus on that single point in front of you, or allow them to close gently, feeling the warm, moist feelings of relaxation as your eyes gently roll upwards behind your closed eyelids, letting yourself find that safe place, that island of peace within. Your safe place. Bring your awareness to the deepest level of your being, going deeper within, clearing your mind of unnecessary thoughts and sensing that love that's always there at the center of your being. And after each breath out, sinking into that love at the center, deep within your own heart, knowing in your heart that you are deeply connected to those you love and those who love you, and that at your core you are a deeply spiritual being, sensing that spiritual source within. Now, that spirit that moves through all things, that allows you to feel empathy and compassion and gratitude. And allow yourself to float back through time to some time within the recent past, perhaps within the past few days or weeks or maybe even months ago, to one of those experiences that has enriched your life. One of those moments you feel thankful for. A time of closeness and love with another person, perhaps. A time of deep self-awareness. A connection with something greater than self. A few moments with an animal that you love, or your art. A moment of enjoying your favorite sport, or fishing, or dancing, singing, skiing, whatever you can allow yourself to feel deep gratitude for at this moment. Feel this wonderful gift of life, of love, of joy, as much as you can, and breathe into it. And as you breathe into it, let it grow stronger and flow throughout the rest of your body. Imagine yourself back in that scene now, at that moment of feeling this wonderful scene, as though you can see it all around you as clearly as possible in your mind's eye. You may even let yourself look around, see the colors and shapes around you, hear the sounds, feel the touch. Make it present right now. And again, amplify that emotion of gratitude deep within. A thankfulness that you have received this gift of gratefulness, of wholeness and fullness, of happiness. Breathe into it. Let it flow throughout all the rest of your body. Good. And now, as you continue to erase all unnecessary thoughts and distractions from your mind, let yourself continue to drift through time, back to a few more of those special experiences in your past, pausing at each for a moment so you can let yourself feel the warmth, the richness, the love, the gratitude for having had an opportunity to have such a life as this, a life with such beautiful moments and connections and love. And with that same sense of gratitude for life and the opportunity to experience the victories you've had, the challenges you've dealt with successfully, and the deepest learnings you have allowed yourself. With that same sense of gratitude, breathe the positive feelings throughout every cell of your body. Good. And now take a moment and allow yourself to experience gratitude directly to the source of all these experiences. In whatever way that feels appropriate to you, gratitude to that which seems to you to be the source of that love, that deep connection, that positive experience, that pure joy, that Spirit that moves through all things. That higher power as you know it to be. That's it. And now give yourself permission to express that gratitude, to honor the source, to respect it, to feel reverence for it. And give yourself permission to let yourself have even more experiences of deep connection. To approach the next challenges in this fascinating life with openness, a willingness to learn, a positive mental attitude. To meet the challenge, to find the opportunity, to feel the energy inside, and to experience oneness and love. Giving permission to that Source, to that Spirit that moves through all things, to enable you to willingly learn all of the lessons that you need to learn so that you can become the person that you came here to be, the person you really are down deep inside. And then, when you're ready, Let yourself gently return back to an awareness of this amazingly beautiful world outside, feeling refreshed, alert, and in touch with your center as you slowly open your eyes and allow yourself to feel gratitude for each color that you see, for each shape, for each movement that you perceive, for each sound that you hear. And for the infinite potential of this very moment. Now. Good. Mm-hmm. And take a moment and notice how good you feel. Great. And if you'd really like to develop gratitude, here's a few suggestions: maintain a gratitude journal. Once or 3 times a day, write something in your journal that you feel grateful for, with a few details. It's been found that people who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercise more regularly, they report fewer physical symptoms, they feel better about themselves and their lives as a whole, and they maintain greater optimism about the future. Another thing you can do is just sit down and create a list of the positives in your life. And as you write, and as you write each thing, ask yourself, to what extent do I take these for granted? And you know what to do. Or try this one: before going to sleep at night, take a few moments and think of 5 or 10 things that you you're grateful for, and feel that gratitude. And if that's too easy for you, try this one: before going to sleep at night, every night, think of 3 things to feel gratitude about that you've never felt gratitude for in the past, and feel that gratitude now. Good. If you haven't yet allowed your eyelids to open, allow them to do so now, and then go about whatever you have planned to do next, still carrying with you this feeling of fullness and warmth and gratitude at your center and through the rest of your being. Now, if that experience was too brief for you to really get into, or Or if you would simply like a deeper experience of gratitude, take a listen to the Attitude of Gratitude meditation. Other programs that you might find to be helpful are the Serenity Prayer, Healing Our Planet, and Rainbow Butterfly. So thank you so much for spending time with me, and I hope you've learned something more beautiful about yourself. In closing, let me just remind you that to feel gratitude and not share it, it's like wrapping a beautiful present and then not giving it. So make sure you make that connection, and always remember that love and compassion are not luxuries. In this life, they're necessities. Without it, humanity will not survive. The imageries and resources at drmiller.com/covid will support us all to stay healthy and keep our communities and nation healthy. As well. Be present. Be kind. Be well.
