Five Easy Ways to Cultivate Gratitude

Being grateful for our blessings shouldn’t be something we do only on Thanksgiving.

We all have so much to be thankful for all year long.  And there’s ample research that shows that being grateful is good for our health. Research shows that grateful people tend to take better care of themselves and develop positive regimens such as a regular exercise and getting plenty of rest. Studies also suggest that feelings of thankfulness can also help us cope with life’s daily stressors.

The good news is that expressing gratitude can easily become a habit that we incorporate into our daily lives.  Follow these five tips to bring more gratitude into your life today:

1. Every day, say aloud three good things that happened to you. This can be a fun activity to do around the family dinner table or with your kids when you tuck them in bed. It’s also very powerful to or express gratitude aloud when you’re alone.
2. Keep a gratitude journal. Every day, Jot down the things that mattered to you and for which you are grateful. They don’t have to be big things. It’s important to appreciate the small things in life, too like the quiet time you had on your drive from work or the hug you were greeted with when you came home. If you’re having a particularly rough day, you can look back through the pages of accumulated blessings in your life.
3. Thank your partner. Couples who express gratitude toward one are happier and more fulfilled.
4. Thank yourself! Gratitude shouldn’t focus only on what others have done for you. Make sure you give yourself a thank you for the healthy habits you’ve cultivated in your own life, such as being compassionate or exercising regularly.
5. Look for silver linings. Even the most difficult life challenges come with some benefit, you just have to look to find it. When things feel like they’re not going your way, ask yourself, “What’s good here?”

Gratitude has so much to offer, not just you, but also everyone you come into contact with throughout your life. If everyone practiced gratitude a little more often, we would live in an immensely different world.