Gratitude doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but it does come with a lot of benefits. We’ve all had days when we think “everything is going wrong!” or “why do bad things always happen to me?”. If you haven’t had one of those days, you must not be human! And some parents and families face many more challenges than others. But, did you know that your own attitude has a major influence on how well you deal with those bad days or negative events?We’ve all heard “look on the bright side” before, and many times things may seem so overwhelming or difficult that we feel there is no bright side at the moment. But, if we really think about it, there is always something we can be thankful or grateful for. Did you know that taking the time to feel thankful each and every day can actually improve your emotional and physical health? Studies have shown that feeling grateful can increase the blood flow to your heart and even boost your immune system! Those who take time each day to find something that they are grateful for, have less depression and stress.

Remember with every loss, we have a gain. When we lose money we are upset, but we appreciate when we once again have a small savings. When we lose a family member we are sad, but we appreciate the ones we still have around even more. When we learn our child qualifies for early intervention services we may be sad, but we are grateful that he can receive free help to allow him to reach his developmental milestones to the best of his ability.

Gratitude doesn’t have to focus on major life accomplishments. Often the smallest of things can give us a feeling of thankfulness. For example, the beauty of the autumn trees this fall, or the fact that your child just learned to pull to stand after 2 months of working on this skill.

Remember, gratitude is a choice only YOU can make! You will notice those people around you who make a conscious choice to be grateful.

“Feeling gratitude, and not expressing it, is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” -William Ward

So what are YOU grateful for? Try writing down at least one thing every day and you will be amazed!