Plus ways to practice gratitude in your everyday life.

Feeling thankful may come more naturally in certain instances.

At other times, especially when were feeling stressed, gratitude may not come as easily.

a photo of a woman getting passed a dish of food at thanksgiving dinner

Photo: Getty Images

But making the intentional choice to focus on gratitude can actually be beneficial to you and those around you.

How Is Gratitude Linked to Better Health?

Stress and its negative impact on the body has long been researched.

4 Ways to Incorporate Gratitude in Your Life for Better Health

So, where to get started?

Meditation can happen in a number of ways.

Prioritizing gratitude for your own well-being can inherently end up benefiting the people around you, too.

Even something as simple as Im thinking of you!

can turn someones day around.

They will surely smile, she says, just as you would if you yourself received a thoughtful message.

Plus, it may inspire someone close to you to express gratitude in their own life.

Volunteering is an important part of supporting the communities youre in.

But it can also help you practice gratitude outside of your own life.

Allow giving back to show you what is happening in the world outside of your world, Romano says.

This will ground you in gratitude.

The Bottom Line

Gratitude is the practice of showing gratefulness and appreciation to those that surround you.

Implementing gratitude can improve both your physical and mental healthand the health of the people in your life.