“It is not joy that makes us grateful, it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” -David Steindl-Rast.

  When people tell you just to “be happy,” it’s not that easy right? It can be difficult to just flip a switch to change how you feel. Rather than just sitting there trying to force yourself to be happy or joyful, practicing gratitude each day can be a much easier way to generate a more positive mood. Recently with life being as crazy and uncertain as it is, I’m trying to make a habit of thinking of 3 things I’m grateful for before I go to sleep. I try to think of things that are specific to that day. I heard about this on a podcast I listened to awhile ago. If you know that every night you are going to think of or write down 3 things you’re grateful for that day, you will spend your day looking for things to be grateful for. I don’t know about you guys, but man that gave me such a change in perspective! I haven’t been perfect at it, but when I do this daily gratitude practice, I am definitely much more happy throughout the day. 

    With as much time as I’m spending at home these days, I think it is especially crucial for our mental and emotional well being to practice gratitude. It’s easy to feel grateful and happy when everything in life is going well, but being able to keep a grateful and positive mindset when life is more challenging is what helps get us through it!