During the holiday season, its become somewhat of a “fad” to be give thanks and to be grateful for another year of blessings. What would happen if we took that same attitude of thankfulness, and extended it to the rest of the year? Researchers say that applying a consistent attitude of gratitude would be rewarded with better health. There’s no doubt that mind and body are connected, and this link is especially apparent when it comes to gratitude (Everyday Health). “Research suggests that individuals who are grateful in their daily lives actually report fewer stress-related health symptoms, including headaches, gastrointestinal (stomach) issues, chest pain, muscle aches, and appetite problems,” says Sheela Raja, PhD, an assistant professor and clinical psychologist in the Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“Take a few moments every morning and throughout the day to reflect on the things that you are grateful for”

“Thousands of years of literature talk about the benefits of cultivating gratefulness as a virtue,” says University of California Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons. Throughout history, philosophers and religious leaders have extolled gratitude as a virtue integral to health and well-being. Now, through a recent movement called positive psychology, mental health professionals are taking a close look at how virtues such as gratitude can benefit our health and they’re reaping some promising results.

Gratitude should not be mistaken for an “ignorance is bliss” state of mind. Unfortunate loss and bad circumstances beyond our control are bound to happen here and there, but we can still choose to keep an attitude of thankfulness in our hearts. During one of my semesters in college, one of my professors quoted the American writer and clergyman, Charles Swindoll in an afternoon lecture that I will never forget. He said, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” As I took a moment to think about what had just been said, I realized how true Swindoll’s statement is. Though little to nothing can be done to change past events, I and I alone am responsible for how I choose to react. Nobody can “make” me do anything – including being grateful. Since that fateful day in college, I have continually challenged myself to have a countenance of compassion, thankfulness and optimism.

Here are three practical ways to incorporate more thankfulness and gratitude in your life:

1. Write It Down

Research has shown that people who keep gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercise more regularly, report fewer physical symptoms, feel better about their lives as a whole, and maintain greater optimism about the future. Val Willingham, CNN Medical Producer wrote this in her recent article regarding thankfulness: “Even as an adult I keep “Thank you” notes in my desk, ready to send to those who have looked out for me, or been there when I needed them most. Doctors say giving thanks, taking the time to notice positive things in your life is not only good for your psyche but it’s good for your body. University of California at Davis researchers found that practicing gratitude can lower your blood pressure and make you feel less hostile. Grateful people are less angry, less negative and usually look for the cup half full. Cornell University researchers have shown that those who are thankful appear to have lower risks of developing phobias, alcoholism, even depression. They even have stronger immune systems.”

2. Encourage Yourself

This may sounds silly at first, but I truly believe that life and death is in the tongue. Our words have impact, on others and especially ourselves. Though sometimes it can seem difficult or near impossible to silence the voices of doubt and negativity in our minds, making a conscious effort to speak to ourselves in a creative, optimistic and appreciative manner can have a great impact on our overall emotional and physical health. Take a few moments every morning and throughout the day to reflect on the things that you are grateful for. Remember, it all starts with our attitude here. If you have a hard time thinking of things you are thankful for, try making an actual list to get yourself started.

3. Do Something For Someone Else

TIME Magazine recently published an article titled “Health and Happiness.” In it, they write: “Happiness is difficult to define and even harder to measure. We experience it as a combination of elements, in the same way that one wheel or spring inside a watch doesn’t keep time — it is a result of the synchronicity of the whole. As a relative state, happiness is what psychologists call our “subjective well-being” and, fortunately for us, it is a state that we can actively change for the better.”

Number 1 on their list of ways to add more happiness to your life is “Do Something Nice for Someone Else”. Hold a door open for someone at the bank, give someone directions if they look lost or make a point to compliment three people on your way to work. Small or big, directed at friends or strangers, random acts of kindness make the person performing the kind act happier when they’re grouped together, according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, an experimental psychologist at UC Riverside. Doing a considerate thing for another person five times in one day made the doer happier than if they had spread out those five acts over one week. Lyubomirsky explains that because we all perform acts of kindness naturally, it seems to please us more when we’re more conscious of it.

Try these things out for yourself and start yourself on the path to a happier, more thankful you. Physical benefits aside, I think we could all benefit from an extra dose of thankfulness here and there. At worst, we come away from these things with a greater understanding and appreciation for our lives and the lives of others. That doesn’t sound too bad now, does it?

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