Welcome to the Phoenix Helix podcast dedicated to maximizing autoimmune health through the paleo diet and lifestyle.

While there is no cure for autoimmune disease, the choices we make every day can have a powerful impact on how we feel.

I'm Eileen Laird, your host from PhoenixHelix.com, and I reduced my rheumatoid arthritis pain by 95% which took me from a life of excruciating

pain and disability back to a full and beautiful life. A short disclaimer, I'm neither a doctor

nor a nutritionist and the opinions expressed here are personal. Always consult with your

health care team before making medical decisions. Now let's get

on to the show. Welcome to episode 109.

Our topic today is the science of gratitude.

When I was at rock bottom with rheumatoid arthritis and experiencing excruciating pain on a daily basis,

I actually started keeping a gratitude journal.

And that might seem like a strange time to do this, but I felt like I deeply needed to focus on something beyond the pain and

suffering that had become my entire world. And it helped. It didn't necessarily alleviate my pain,

but it did reduce my suffering because it helped me remember

there were still good things in my life. And it turns out that I'm not alone in feeling

these benefits. Research is showing that gratitude can improve both mental and physical health.

My guest today is Dr. Fuchsia Sirwa, a psychologist, professor, and researcher who is highly interested in how

psychology impacts physical well-being, especially for people with chronic illness. She's conducted

research into procrastination and perfectionism as risk factors in health, and self-compassion

and gratitude as resilience factors. And today, we're going to be

focusing on gratitude, what the research is showing and practical steps for making it a part of our

daily lives. So welcome to the show, Fuchsia. Oh, thanks for having me, Ily. Oh, it's my pleasure.

This is going to be a great conversation. Before we do that,

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