Introduction: A World in Crisis

In the wake of a global pandemic, isolation, and uncertainty, the world in late 2020 and early 2021 felt like an unrecognisable place. The Covid-19 crisis had left communities fractured, individuals feeling alone, and an overwhelming sense of stagnation. Days blurred into one another, and as lockdowns persisted, the challenge for many became not just physical survival but emotional resilience. Without our usual social structures—friends, workplaces, shared experiences—many of us were left confronting our own thoughts in unprecedented ways.

Yet, in this moment of hardship, something remarkable happened: people sought new ways to connect, to adapt, and to cultivate meaning despite their circumstances.

The Birth of the PsychStrength Gratitude Challenge

Before he came away from social media, Zak had been using his social media channels, PsychStrength, to share insights into psychology, fitness, and mental resilience. As winter approached, he recognised the growing sense of disconnection and fatigue among those around him. In a conversation with his close friend Marc in November, the idea for a challenge emerged: a daily commitment to movement and gratitude—something simple yet powerful enough to make a difference.

The PsychStrength Gratitude Challenge was launched—a 30-day practice combining five bodyweight exercises with a short moment of gratitude. Each morning, participants reflected on something they were grateful for and shared their reflections with others.

What began as a small experiment quickly took on a life of its own.

Zak recorded the videos and uploaded them at 7am for the month of December 2020.

Building a Community of Reflection

Each day, participants didn’t just record their own words of gratitude—they read the reflections of others. What started as a solitary practice became a collective movement. Strangers found connection through shared struggles and victories. Words of encouragement flooded the challenge’s comment sections. People who had never met found inspiration in each other’s reflections.

The impact of the challenge soon became clear. Gratitude wasn’t just a passive exercise; it was an active force for change.

Julie, one of the participants, shared:

“This challenge has kept me going through a bleak December. The feeling of community by simply sharing a word of gratitude each day has been life-changing.”

Marc reflected:

“I never realised how much power there is in simply taking a moment to reflect each day. It has shifted my entire mindset.”

As the challenge progressed, the emotional journey deepened. Some days stood out as particularly significant.

Lessons from the Challenge: The Power of Simplicity

One of the key themes that emerged was simplicity. On Day 12, Zak reflected:

“Simple is harder than complex. But when you strip everything back and focus on the basics—showing up, moving, and expressing gratitude—you build something strong. The key to progress is not in grand gestures but in consistency.”

Participants resonated with this deeply. Will, another challenger, shared:

“This challenge has helped me focus on what I have, rather than what I lack.”

By the second week, motivation began to wane, and participants realised that gratitude, like any habit, required discipline. By the final week, reflections had shifted—people were no longer simply grateful for external blessings but were noticing internal transformations: patience, resilience, a newfound ability to reframe adversity.

The Short Film: Capturing a Movement

By the time the final day arrived, it was evident that this challenge had become more than a personal experiment. It was a document of collective growth.

To honour this experience, the reflections, struggles, and victories of the 30-day journey were compiled into a short film—a visual tribute to what had been achieved. This was not just a summary; it was a powerful reminder of how simple daily actions could reshape one’s perspective.

The film was met with overwhelming support. But one response stood out above the rest.

Viktor Frankl’s Enduring Legacy

The film was sent to the Viktor Frankl Institute. Incredibly, Gabriele Vesely-Frankl, PhD, Viktor Frankl’s daughter, watched the film and personally thanked Zak for carrying forward her father’s work.

Frankl’s philosophy—formed through his experiences surviving Nazi concentration camps—had long emphasised that in times of immense suffering, the one freedom no one could take from us was our ability to choose our response. His words, written decades before, had served as a guiding principle for this challenge:

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

The gratitude challenge had, in many ways, embodied this philosophy. In a world where people had little control over external circumstances, the challenge had provided a structured way to reclaim that power internally. The recognition from Frankl’s family was not just a moment of validation—it was a reminder of the universal importance of resilience, perspective, and meaning in adversity.

From Challenge to Daily Practice: The EA5 App

As the PsychStrength Gratitude Challenge came to an end, its impact was undeniable. But 30 days were never meant to be the final destination—it was only the beginning.

This experience became the foundation for something greater: The EA5 App, a digital evolution of the challenge, offering daily gratitude audios to guide users in sustained self-reflection.

This was not just an app; it was a continuation of the movement. A tool to ensure that gratitude and reflection could become a lifelong practice.

A Call to Action: Your Turn to Take Part

If the last 30 days have proven anything, it’s that small, daily actions lead to lasting change. Gratitude is not just a practice—it’s a skill. And like any skill, the more you train it, the stronger it gets.

Now, the journey continues.

💡 Download the EA5 App and begin your own gratitude journey today.