Gratitude is one way to stay well. One important way. One easy way. One absolutely free way. As I noted last week – in Health fix in an instant – gratitude not only makes you feel better, it truly helps you be healthier.

To discover the power of gratitude, you first need to be aware of slowing down and smelling the roses. (Or the coffee. Your choice – me, I prefer flowers!) Constantly rushing around or getting immersed in junk wastes of your time do not steer you toward staying present in the moment.

In addition, a daily practice of expressing gratitude appears to be more effective than a weekly practice. So, how can you begin? Consider the following suggestions. Choose what you like, and get started building that daily routine:

•    Keep a daily gratitude journal. Write down several things each day that you are grateful for, brought good into your life, made you smile, comforted you, made you think. These items need not be earth-shattering events. Consider things like having a bed to rest in, seeing the sun, your loved ones being safe, clean water to drink and so on. Add in the other special moments of the day. There is plenty in each of our daily lives to be grateful for, even amidst turmoil.

•     Focus on the good others do for you. From minor to major, it’s there.

•     Develop the language of gratitude. Delete the complaints and whining. Spend more time each day acknowledging the good in the world vs. the bad.

•     Make the effort to stay present in at least some of the moments in your day. Stop and, for a full minute, appreciate the sun rising or setting, a smile, the smell of what you get to eat, the warmth or coolness of your home, the colors in nature, etc.

•    Treat others to kind actions. Smile, offer a friendly wave, say hello, help a stranger, hold a door open. These actions make others feel good, and that glow returns to you in the moment and even later.

•    Say thank you more often.