Gratitude is a familiar term anymore. (And let’s all take a moment to be grateful for that alone. Whoa, could we really someday become a kinder, gentler society?) Unfortunately, familar can wreak havoc on a good practice. How?

Because it becomes too rote. Too much of a to do list item. Write down those damn 5 things you’re grateful for today, and call it a day. Whew, done. Let me lay myself down to sleep.

Oops … guess what? That doesn’t get at the heart of gratitude. It doesn’t bring you the real essence — and the real benefits — of feeling grateful. Because the active ingredient in gratitude is just that … feeling it. No points for fast work. If you dash off your items of gratitude or quickly say thanks for something, but you don’t really feel that appreciation, you just passed go, but you didn’t collect $200. And that sucks.

This is an easy fix. And a worth it fix. What does a feeling gratitude practice bring you? It boosts endorphins and serotonin, which is the same thing antidepressant meds do. Those natural endorphins also help you cope better with stress and pain. You’ll sleep better. Your heart will work like it’s supposed to. You’ll have more energy. And it strengthens your immune system, which is what helps your body defend itself against disease or recover better from an illness.

So, scale down if you must. Then, when you do practice gratitude, practice it with gusto. Lay down to sleep and recall that one moment, one thing you truly can feel grateful for that day. Think of all the goodness it brought. All the elements, all the details. Yes, all the feels. We like feels, right?

If you’re going to thank someone, thank them. With happiness and care. THANK them. Don’t toss it off like brushing off some lint. Thank them: Look in their eyes, smile, even add the relevant part to your thank you. Like, “Thank you for helping me x.” 
“Oh, thanks so much for doing x.” “Thank you for your patience.”

This recharges your health. Over and over and over. So, start with one thing you can do a mega job of gratitude on today. Then maybe add some more. Because recharges for your human body work even better when you haven’t run it down to empty.