“It is not happiness that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us happy.”

- David Steindl-Rast

Gratitude is a practice of appreciation and thankfulness for the good in our lives. It is the intentional and conscious focus of the positives we experience on a daily or weekly basis.

Research shows that regularly practicing gratitude can have both short and long-term benefits including:

Improved health
Reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression
Better sleep
Increased happiness
Better social interactions
Increased productivity
Increased resiliency

To give more context, a study out of the University of California found that practicing gratitude can increase happiness by as much as 25%. Additional studies have shown that gratitude is linked to healthier blood pressure, better heart rates, and stronger immune systems. Another study by Psychotherapy Research found that participants who practiced daily gratitude showed improvements on mental health assessments compared to those who instead wrote about daily events.

If you’re ready to incorporate gratitude into your routine, here are just a few examples of how to do that. One of the easiest ways is to start a gratitude journal, listing 3-5 things per day that you are grateful for. Another way is to be intentional about thanking people you interact with, for example a waiter at a restaurant, your mailman, or your child’s teacher. This can be in person or in the form of a thank you letter. And lastly, pay attention to when you might be falling into a comparison trap. Comparing yourself to others can leave you feeling less than and deflated. Instead of thinking about what you’re lacking, try focusing on what you have that you’re grateful for!