This is an archived post taken from the March 2013 edition of KrantzWellness News.

More and more studies are showing that gratitude and positive thoughts can improve your mood, strengthen your immune system, and change the chemical make up of your body and brain. These studies are documenting the impact of the mind-body connection.  Taking a few minutes to offer gratitude and focus on something positive is an easy way to enhance your physical and emotional well-being.  This is not to disregard the things that are not going well in your life, but to bring attention to what is.

Here are a few ways to get started:

Gratitude Journal
Once a day, write down something for which you are grateful.  This can be about yourself, your family, your experiences etc.  The important part is to experience the gratitude.  It can be helpful to pick one time of day and make it a daily practice (ie. when you wake up or right before bed).

Start Dinner with Gratitude
At the beginning of dinner, take a moment to appreciate the food on your plate and reflect on something positive that happened during the day.  This integrates gratitude into your day, slows down your system, and can help with digestion.

Appreciate the Pause
Busyness and overscheduling is such a way of life these days.  Finding a moment between activities to take a breath and focus on something positive can reset your brain and bring you back to the present moment.