Stacey broke her neck at 12 and became a quadriplegic. She’s grateful for it

Each morning when her alarm sounds, Stacey Copas wakes and, with her eyes still closed, recites her gratitude mantra out loud. She says it again at night before she turns out her light, and calls on it as needed throughout the day.

Each time, it takes about 20 seconds.

While it might sound a little “new age”, Copas – author, and founder of The Academy of Resilience – believes that when practised meaningfully, gratitude is a powerful tool for shifting our focus off negativity and helping us navigate life’s difficulties.

Stacey Copas says practising gratitude has had a powerful impact on her life.Credit:

“When you’re stuck in a rut, or something hasn’t gone to plan, and you’re feeling overwhelmed, using some simple gratitude strategies can flip things very quickly,” says Copas, who discovered the value of gratitude at a young age.

Thirty-four years ago, aged 12, she dived into a pool, broke her neck and was pulled from the water unconscious. The incident left her a quadriplegic, and she has lived in a wheelchair since.

It’s an experience she’s grateful for.

“People say, ‘How can you be grateful about ending up a quadriplegic?’,” Copas says. “But I’m really grateful this happened and the opportunities it’s created for me.”

Copas admits she wasn’t always able to see the upside of her life-altering injury. “For the first few years I went into a deep, dark place that I was determined to stay in on my own. But once I was able to reframe it with gratitude, it was like a weight had lifted.

“I started to realise you can either let something ruin your life, or make it better. From there, I began focusing on what I had, rather than what I’d lost.”

The power of gratitude

Gratitude is strongly linked to greater happiness, with research showing it can improve emotional and social wellbeing, sleep quality, depression risk, heart health and even longevity.

“Gratitude isn’t just a buzzword slapped on a throw pillow,” life coach and CBT practitioner Loz Antonenko says. “It’s a science-backed mindset shift that transforms how we handle stress, build resilience and create meaningful change.”

Take a “grati” walk and focus on the things to be grateful for right now.Credit: Getty Images

Antonenko, author of Get the F*ck Unstuck, says learning to understand gratitude helped her to process the suicide of her first husband nine years ago, and it’s something she now draws on regularly in her work and life.

“Gratitude is one of the most underestimated tools I use with clients to rewire negative thought patterns and improve emotional regulation,” she says. “It’s not about ignoring hardship – it’s about training your brain to acknowledge the full spectrum of life, not just the chaos.”

Counsellor Lukas Winward, who works with both teens and adults, encourages gratitude strategies to help them find clarity amid the noise and busyness of life. “Gratitude is very grounding, it brings you right into the moment, and helps you focus on what’s really important in your life.”

He believes anyone can benefit from practising gratitude – from those struggling with depression or anxiety, to people stuck with sadness from the past or feeling fearful about the future. For those who are already naturally optimistic, gratitude can act like a superpower.

How to practise meaningful gratitude

“Gratitude works because it’s trainable,” Antonenko says. “With just a few minutes a day, we can shift physiology, regulate emotion, and improve focus.”

Copas says expressing genuine appreciation takes presence, sincerity and an understanding of what works for you. “The whole intention is to create a feeling and experience of gratitude.”

To weave gratitude into everyday life, try the following:

• Mantras: Speaking gratitude out loud reinforces the message by sending it from your thoughts, through your voice, and back into your mind. “You’re telling yourself what you’re feeling, and choosing what you’re going to focus on,” Winward says.
• Say “thank you” – and mean it: Copas says giving thanks, and saying it with meaning, is not just polite but also activates feel-good vibes within ourselves. “It shifts the energy in our body.”
• Create a “gratitude attitude”: Antonenko recommends arming yourself with tools that reinforce positive thinking and expand your understanding of yourself.
• Journaling: Writing down what you’re grateful for in the moment can boost mental wellbeing by encouraging reflection on positive experiences and shifting your focus to what’s going well. “Two or three bullet points are enough to help you concentrate on what’s important and lean into the positive instead of the negative,” Winward says.
• Start a “mojo jar” ritual: Write down daily wins and grateful moments and pop them in a jar, suggests Antonenko. “This visual accumulation helps reframe progress and foster self-efficacy.”
• Take a “grati” walk: This simple practice combines mindful presence with mood-boosting movement and the benefits of being outdoors in nature, Antonenko says. “It’s backed by studies showing gratitude combined with nature equals a potent dopamine boost.“

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