by Cyndi Li

Created on: April 04, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

For centuries religious groups the world over have recognized the positive impact a gracious attitude has on one's mental and physical health. Our modern society, however, is still lagging when it comes to embracing the advantageous effects that gratitude has on the mind, body and spirit.

In today's fast paced, overtaxed and sometimes uncaring society, it can be challenging to have an attitude of gratitude. I'm not referring to superficial gratitude; those habitual thank yous we so often utter. I mean gratitude felt from the most inner part of our hearts that radiates into our everyday attitudes, and navigates the way we approach life's situations.

Frequently we are so caught up in what we lack; we fail to recognize all that we possess. Often, we are only reminded of the blessings present in our world when we encounter someone worse off than we are or when those blessings are no longer a reality. Adopting a daily gratitude ritual can helped you climb out of that bleak existence, and propelled you to a life of heartfelt thankfulness that will heightened your awareness to the beauty all around you and improved your overall health.

Here are a few techniques that can assist you to not only stop and smell those fragrant, brilliant red roses, but to be grateful you have the sense of smell to do so in the first place.

Create a gratitude journal

Each night before you retire, take a few minutes to look back over your day, and recall the things within it you are grateful for. It need not be something grandiose; many times it's the simplest of things.

Considering the driving rain that is now pelting at your bedroom window, you may be grateful that the garbage man securely placed the lid back on your trash receptacles so you won't have to empty them out in the morning. Or, maybe you're thankful for the honest customer who returned the extra change you mistakenly gave them so your cash draw didn't come up short at the end of your shift. Keep this daily list and read through it often.

In an experiment titled "Dimensions and Perspectives of Gratitude" Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis reported the following: "In an experimental comparison, those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events." (Emmons & Crumpler, 2000) (www.bethankful.com)

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