Gratitude Can Boost Your Health: 5 Ways to Develop It/Story:A little Thief in the Pantry.

Gratitude Can Boost Your Health: 5 Ways to Develop It Studies show its benefits for mind, body and spirit When you’re overwhelmed or stressed out, it’s easy to miss the extraordinary gift of being alive. Practicing gratitude can shift your perspective. Many studies show that practicing gratitude provides us with a sense of overall well-being. It can also reduce depression and anxiety, lower our risk of disease, and flood the brain with feel-good chemicals like serotonin. In the midst of my somewhat chaotic life, a daily gratitude practice helps me maintain a steady sense of calm and happiness. Here are five ways to build gratitude into your life: 1. Keep a gratitude journal 2. Reach out to say ‘thanks’ 3. Support a great cause 4. Eat mindfully 5. ‘Take five’ Before you eat — or whenever you’re stressed out — try this simple one-minute technique to better metabolize your food and lower your stress hormones: ◦ Take five breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. ◦ Slowly count to 5 on each in-breath and out-breath. The benefits of a gratitude practice will extend far beyond your health. Story: A little Thief in the Pantry.