Do you ever feel like your life stinks but you don’t know how to make it better?

I’ve been there.

Sometimes life can be overwhelming.

Occasionally there are seasons where it feels like the world is out to get us and nothing seems to go right. Maybe money is extra tight, your children are struggling, or your relationships are crumbling. Perhaps you’re battling a serious diagnosis, going through a divorce, or watching a loved one die. Maybe you’re experiencing all of the above.

Life can be hard!

When life hands us lemons, it can be easy to slide into the pit of self-pity where it becomes nearly impossible to see a way out as we wait for the next shoe to drop.

But what if I told you there was a surprisingly simple way to make your life better–no matter what is happening?

Would you try it?

What I’m about to tell you is surprisingly simple though not always easy. However, if you are intentional about practicing it, it will make your life better.

I promise.

It is even a scientifically proven fact, and I have experienced it myself.

So, what exactly is this life-changing thing?

Gratitude.

See, I told you it was simple!

Now, let me tell you how it works.

• Gratitude holds incredible power to show us that there is still goodness in our lives.
• Gratitude helps us affirm that no matter how bleak things may look, there are a plethora of gifts–big and small–all around us.
• Gratitude brings many physical, psychological, and social benefits, including healthier relationships, better sleep, increased satisfaction, happiness, and joy. It also reduces anxiety and depression, helps people recover from trauma, and even boosts our immune systems. These are only a few of the wonderful benefits of practicing gratitude (See more here).

How to practice gratitude to make your life better:

First, in order to practice gratitude, we need to shift our mindset away from the gloom and doom thoughts that tend to overtake us when things aren’t going right. In order to do this, we have to make an intentional choice to pause and notice something (anything!) in our life for which to be thankful. When life is especially dark this can feel tricky, but I promise you there is always something to be thankful for when we simply open our eyes to see.

It doesn’t have to be anything huge– maybe when that first smell of freshly brewed coffee hits your senses you can pause for just a second and be grateful. Perhaps your eye catches the glimmer of sunshine on freshly fallen snow and you stop and notice that there is sparkling beauty despite the cold. That colorful bird that flitted by? A gift worth admiring. The softness of your bed at the end of a hard day? Sink in with gratitude. That smile from a passing stranger? A blessing.

As I write, an enormous yellow butterfly visited the bright pink flowers outside my window. It stopped to sip the sweet nectar for a mere ten seconds, but its flutter caught my eye, drawing me into a brief moment of beauty and another chance to give thanks for something good.

Pausing to notice and be thankful for simple moments like this is as simple as it sounds, but the intentional practice truly will make your life better.

But in order for gratitude to have its full impact, we shouldn’t stop at noticing.

Once we see the good things that are indeed around us, writing them down begins to retrain our brains and solidify the positive impact of being thankful.

By keeping a gratitude journal and recording as few as three things a day for which you can be thankful, your perspective will begin to shift. Pessimism will turn to optimism as you look back at how all the little gifts add up to some big reasons to be thankful!

If you want to take it a step further, consider writing a gratitude letter or heartfelt thank-you card to someone in your life who may need to know how thankful you are for them–both you and the recipient will reap the benefit!

This practice is simple yet profound. Even children can be taught to foster gratitude which will help them become more resilient to challenges they may face.

It takes time to make a change like this, but if you commit to practicing it for 30 days, you might be surprised how natural it can become– and your life will absolutely become better as well.

Slow down, notice the good that is here, savor it, record it, and you will be well on your way to having a better life!

May I encourage you to start today?

Tell me three things you are thankful for in the comments below!

Read more: Gratitude: A Life-Changing Practice or Trite Tradition?