Not every day starts out on a positive note, and for most of us, if not all, there will be rougher days than others for getting going. But there are always ways to help ourselves, and that's the secret to providing what we need to carry on. It may seem prosaic, but the saying "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" is apt here, and we must adhere to it. If not, we decide our future in a less-than-positive manner: no blame here, just techniques to help yourself. Starting is hard, but it gets easier.

There is mounting evidence that practicing gratitude improves mental and physical well-being. This includes fewer depressive symptoms, more positive affect and life satisfaction, better sleep, and more engagement in health behaviors.

Research evidence suggests that there may be psychological and physiological changes associated with an increase in gratitude, which in turn affects one’s well-being by drawing our focus more strongly to positive experiences and encouraging a more optimistic interpretation and memory of past events. Similarly, research has shown that being grateful boosts social support, which in turn improves the quality of relationships and overall health.

Gratitude interventions show promise as a supplemental, even self-therapy for mental health. Each of us is, in one sense or another, our own therapist, and each of us has the power to make small but significant changes. Every change can lead to a more fulfilling, happier life. Wouldn't you want that? Even in the darkest times, this method can be your guiding light. Hold that light high and allow it to brighten the darkness around you.

What Can You Do?

There are two ways to think about gratitude: as a quality and as a condition. People typically describe thankfulness as “a generalized inclination to recognize and respond with thankful emotion to the wonderful occurrences in life,” viewing it as a trait or disposition.

There are two parts to the practice of gratitude: first, being aware that you have had a good experience; and second, attributing that good fortune to something outside of yourself, such as other people, your surroundings, or an intangible thing. According to the ideas provided by research, a sense of purpose, a healthy lifestyle, and prosocial activities are all promoted by good emotions like thankfulness. Participating in these pursuits helps mental, physical, and social resources flourish, setting in motion a domino effect that eventually improves one’s health.

You could think of gratitude as a state of mind as well as a character attribute. The term “deviational gratitude” describes a person’s innate propensity to notice and respond with grateful emotion to the fortunate occurrences in life. Feelings of gratitude are more common among people who naturally have an appreciative attitude. There once was a highly popular newspaper cartoon character who viewed everything in a negative light, and he had a perpetual raining cloud over his head. We can choose to be that character, or we can choose to be someone who views things in a more positive light.

But there are more benefits to this specific type of orientation, other than in our mental health, and they are involved in overall physical health. Studies observed a small but statistically significant effect of gratitude on stress and inflammation biomarkers. A small but statistically significant decrease in total inflammatory biomarker concentrations was observed in a group of heart disease patients who participated in an 8-week thankfulness journaling intervention as compared to a control group that received standard care. An other research indicated that thankfulness had minor impacts on tumor necrosis factor-a in the blood, but no such effects on other inflammatory biomarkers. The results of a different randomized controlled trial on the effects of gratitude diaries on salivary cortisol levels were inconclusive. Further research is necessary to clarify these findings, although these mixed results may indicate that thankfulness may have some beneficial impacts on stress and inflammation biomarkers. ?

Evidence suggests that practicing gratitude improves the quality of sleep one gets. Gratitude therapies, such keeping a gratitude diary, have been shown in multiple trials to enhance the quality of sleep. Consider this study: after two weeks of thankfulness journaling, participants’ daily sleep quality increased considerably compared to the control group that did not receive any treatment.

Another study compared a thankfulness journaling intervention to a waitlist control condition and found that sleep quality improved moderately between the two. Not only that, but a randomized pilot study found that practicing thankfulness before bed each night improved both the quality and length of sleep, as well as reduced pre-sleep arousal. Although the benefits may differ based on the particular intervention and comparative settings, on average, thankfulness treatments improve the quality of sleep. ?

Today, you may find it hard to find some things for which you can be thankful, but give yourself some time and pull up those memories you have stored inside you. There have been instances in your life where either you have prevailed over adversity or someone else has extended some kindness to you.

Look for the kindness, look for the strength you had and have and you will find what you need to carry on. As I've always said, something good can come from even the worst of circumstances. I am not being a Pollyanna, but I am encouraging you to seek instead of slumping back in your seat and accepting.