Real‑life examples of gratitude during difficult times (that actually help)

Everyday examples of gratitude during difficult times

Let’s start where it hurts.

Difficult times rarely arrive politely. They crash in: layoffs, breakups, diagnoses, burnout, caregiving, global uncertainty. And yet, in the middle of all that mess, people keep finding small, stubborn reasons to say, “I’m grateful for this one thing, right now.” Those are the real examples of gratitude during difficult times that actually shift how we cope.

Here are a few lived-in, not-perfect, human moments.

Example of gratitude during a health crisis

A woman waiting for her chemotherapy session keeps a tiny notebook in her bag. On the days when she wants to disappear, she writes just one line:

“Grateful the nurse remembered my name.”
“Grateful the meds exist, even if I hate them.”
“Grateful for the friend who drove me here and sat in the parking lot.”

She isn’t grateful for cancer. She’s grateful within cancer. That distinction matters.

Research from the National Institutes of Health has linked gratitude practices to better emotional well-being and lower stress, even in serious illness (NIH). Not because gratitude magically fixes disease, but because it gives the nervous system tiny pockets of relief.

If you’re in a health crisis, your own examples of gratitude during difficult times might include:

• A doctor who listens without rushing you.
• Access to medication, treatment, or telehealth.
• A body part that still works well, even if others don’t.
• The neighbor who drops off soup on the porch.

None of this cancels out the fear or the pain. It just means both can exist: the hard and the helpful.

Examples of gratitude during financial stress or job loss

Job loss doesn’t just hit your bank account; it hits your identity. One man I interviewed described staring at the email that said, “Your position has been eliminated,” and feeling like the floor had dropped out.

That night, he opened a notes app and typed:

“Grateful I have three months of savings.”
“Grateful my partner said, ‘We’ll figure it out together.’”
“Grateful I’m not the only one going through this in 2024.”

He started collecting examples of gratitude during difficult times that were specifically tied to money stress:

• A former coworker who sent him a list of job leads.
• Free online courses that helped him update his skills.
• Unemployment benefits that, while imperfect, kept the lights on.
• The chance to rethink what kind of work he actually wanted.

According to the American Psychological Association, money remains a top source of stress in the U.S., but social support and reframing can buffer its impact (APA / Stress in America). Gratitude, in this context, is a form of reframing: “Yes, this is awful—and also, here’s what I still have access to.”

Best examples of gratitude during grief and loss

Grief is where a lot of gratitude advice falls apart, because it can sound like: “Be thankful and move on.” That’s not how grief works.

A woman who lost her father told me she started a “two-column journal.” On the left side, she wrote what hurt:

“I hate that I can’t call you.”
“I hate that you’re not here for this holiday.”

On the right side, she wrote examples of gratitude during difficult times that were specifically tied to her grief:

“Grateful we had 30 years, not 3.”
“Grateful for the stories people keep sharing about you.”
“Grateful I can still hear your laugh in my head.”

Again, she wasn’t grateful for the loss. She was grateful for the love around the loss.

Your own examples include things like:

• Friends who remember important dates and check in.
• Rituals that help you feel connected (visiting a place they loved, cooking their favorite meal).
• Photos, voice notes, or texts you can still return to.
• The way grief has made you more present with the people still here.

Organizations like the National Institute of Mental Health note that grief is a natural, often long process, and support—both emotional and social—matters deeply (NIMH). Gratitude can quietly highlight where that support is showing up.

Real examples of gratitude during burnout and mental health struggles

Imagine a teacher in 2025, juggling crowded classrooms, digital tools, and constant policy changes. She’s exhausted, irritable, and wondering if she picked the wrong career.

Her therapist suggests a five-breath gratitude practice:

On the way to work, at a red light, she names three small things:

“Grateful for coffee in a travel mug.”
“Grateful one student told me, ‘You’re the only reason I come to school.’”
“Grateful I get to reset every semester.”

On the way home, she adds two more:

“Grateful I set a boundary and didn’t answer emails after 6 p.m.”
“Grateful my body carried me through another day.”

These are not Instagram-worthy revelations. They’re small, gritty examples of gratitude during difficult times that help her nervous system downshift.

The Mayo Clinic notes that gratitude practices may be linked to better sleep, improved mood, and stronger immunity (Mayo Clinic). For people living with anxiety or depression, that might look like:

• Being grateful you made it out of bed.
• Appreciating one person who “gets it” and doesn’t try to fix you.
• Noticing a moment (even 30 seconds) when your mind felt a little lighter.

Gratitude here is not toxic positivity. It’s more like a handrail on a steep staircase.

Turning hard days into examples of gratitude during difficult times

Let’s get practical. How do you actually turn your worst days into real examples of gratitude during difficult times without lying to yourself?

One simple approach: start with the pain, then look for the support.

You might write:

• “Today was awful because…” and list everything that went wrong.
• Then: “In the middle of that, I was still grateful for…” and name one to three things.

For example:

“Today was awful because my car broke down, I missed an interview, and my bank account is terrifying. In the middle of that, I was still grateful for the friend who picked me up, the mechanic who squeezed me in, and the fact that I had clean clothes to wear while I cried on the couch.”

This style of journaling gives you living, breathing examples of gratitude during difficult times that don’t sugarcoat anything. You’re not erasing the hard; you’re widening the frame.

If you prefer prompts, try:

• “One person who made today more bearable was…”
• “One tiny comfort I’m grateful for right now is…”
• “One thing I have today that past-me desperately wanted is…”
• “If I zoomed out 5 years, what might I be grateful for about how I got through this?”

Over time, these lines become your own best examples of how you kept going.

Quiet, overlooked examples of gratitude during difficult times

Not all gratitude is loud or obvious. Some of the best examples live in the background of your day, almost invisible until you name them.

Think about:

• Infrastructure: Clean water from the tap, electricity that works, trash pickup. In many parts of the world, these are not guaranteed.
• Information: Free access to mental health resources, financial literacy content, or medical information from places like MedlinePlus or CDC.
• Time-saving tools: Grocery delivery when you’re sick, digital banking when you’re overwhelmed, teletherapy when you can’t leave the house.

During the pandemic years, millions of people started noticing these quiet examples of gratitude during difficult times: the mail carrier, the grocery worker, the bus driver. That awareness hasn’t disappeared; it’s just gone quieter. Naming it in your journal brings it back into focus.

You might write:

“Today I’m strangely grateful for the person who stocked the pharmacy shelves at 5 a.m., the engineer who fixed the power outage before I woke up, and the stranger online who shared a budgeting spreadsheet for free.”

These aren’t sentimental. They’re grounded in how your life actually functions.

Using gratitude without gaslighting yourself

Let’s say this clearly: gratitude is not a moral obligation. You are not a bad person if you’re struggling to feel thankful while everything is on fire.

Sometimes, the most honest example of gratitude during difficult times is something like:

“I’m grateful I survived today, even if I did it badly.”

Or:

“I’m grateful I can admit that I’m not okay.”

If gratitude ever starts to sound like, “Other people have it worse, so I shouldn’t feel this way,” that’s not gratitude. That’s shame wearing a nice outfit.

Healthy examples of gratitude during difficult times feel like:

• Permission, not pressure.
• A softening, not a silencing.
• A way of seeing more of reality, not ignoring half of it.

If you notice you’re using gratitude to minimize your own pain—“I shouldn’t be sad because I have a job/partner/house”—try flipping it:

“I’m deeply struggling and I’m grateful for X.”

The and is everything.

Real examples of gratitude journaling prompts for hard seasons

If you want to build your own bank of real examples of gratitude during difficult times, journaling is one of the simplest tools you’ve got. You don’t need fancy stationery. Your phone’s notes app is enough.

Here are some conversation-style prompts you can reuse whenever life gets heavy:

• “Right now, my life feels hard because… AND, even so, I’m grateful that…”
• “If today had a headline, it would be… And the tiny good-news subheading would be…”
• “Someone who made my life 1% easier this week was… I’m grateful because…”
• “One thing I complained about today that is actually something I once wanted is…”
• “If future-me wrote me a thank-you note for how I’m handling this, it might say…”

As you answer these, you’re creating your own living archive—your personal best examples of how gratitude and struggle can sit at the same table.

You’ll start to notice patterns:

• The same people show up again and again in your gratitude lists.
• Certain routines (a morning walk, a nightly shower, a weekly call) are steady anchors.
• Even in wildly unstable seasons, there are 2–3 things that keep appearing.

Those recurring themes? Those are your emotional support beams.

FAQ: Real questions about gratitude in hard times

Q: What are some simple examples of gratitude during difficult times when I feel completely numb?
When you feel numb, go ultra-basic. You might write, “I’m grateful for the fact that I can breathe without thinking about it,” or “I’m grateful my bed exists,” or “I’m grateful that even though I feel nothing, I still showed up to work/therapy/this journal.” These are still valid examples of gratitude during difficult times. You’re acknowledging the smallest threads holding you together.

Q: Can you give an example of gratitude that doesn’t sound fake when things are really bad?
Try pairing honesty with one specific support: “I hate this situation, and I’m grateful for my sister texting me every morning,” or “I’m terrified about money, and I’m grateful my landlord is willing to work out a payment plan.” The “and” keeps it real. This kind of example of gratitude doesn’t erase the hard part; it sits beside it.

Q: Are there any research-backed benefits to practicing gratitude during hard times?
Yes. Studies summarized by the National Institutes of Health and major medical centers like the Mayo Clinic suggest that gratitude practices can support better mood, lower perceived stress, and improved sleep quality over time. They’re not a cure-all, but they’re a low-cost, low-risk tool that can gently support mental health alongside therapy, medication, or other care.

Q: What if I can’t think of any examples of gratitude during difficult times at all?
Start with, “If I had to pick one thing, under protest, it would be…” and see what comes out. Or borrow other people’s real examples and see which ones feel true for you: a pet, a song on repeat, a hot shower, an online community, a favorite mug, a meme that made you laugh when you didn’t think you could. It’s okay if your first examples include a lot of sarcasm. You’re still showing up.

Q: Does gratitude mean I have to be thankful for my trauma or illness?
No. You never have to be grateful for the harm. Many people find it more honest to be grateful for what grew around the harm: the people who showed up, the boundaries they learned to set, the strength they discovered, the help they finally accepted. Those are still powerful examples of gratitude during difficult times—without romanticizing what hurt you.

Gratitude in hard seasons is less about writing pretty lists and more about telling the truth with a slightly wider lens. You don’t have to pretend your life is better than it is. You just have to be willing, every now and then, to ask: “Is there anything here, no matter how small, that I can thank?”

The answers you scribble in those moments—those are your real examples of gratitude during difficult times. They’re not proof that everything is okay. They’re proof that you’re still here, paying attention, even when it would be easier to shut down.