Mindfulness and gratitude are intricately related. You must slow down and observe to practice gratitude. Gratitude is an emotion that is being explored by researchers interested in health and well-being. Like mindfulness, gratitude  is a quality that can be cultivated and nourished. Studies suggest that practicing gratitude may positively impact your immune system and lower blood pressure, just like mindfulness. In fact, The Greater Good Science Center at University of California, Berkeley is in the middle of a multi-year grant funded by the Templeton Foundation researching how gratitude affects individuals and communities.

Studies have shown that journaling is helpful in capturing moments of gratitude during your day. However, the good news is that daily journaling is not necessary to reap benefit. In fact, it is more important to be specific about what you are grateful for than more frequent entries in a journal. For instance, "I am grateful for my co-workers" is not as health promoting as a more specific entry, such as "I am grateful that Elizabeth surprised me with an iced tea when she came to work today." Stopping, and dropping into mindfulness for even a few seconds helps you capture moments of gratitude. You may choose to write down your items of gratitude at the end of the day or perhaps during the day while they happen...the choice is yours.

Some people like to take their gratitude journaling to the digital space by using apps such as the 5 minute journal app which gives you reminders and prompts. However, the plain old analog version of pencil and paper works great!

Give yourself a "gratitude challenge" over the next few weeks...try to capture those fleeting moments of gratitude and then write them down..reflecting mindfully as you write. I would love to hear your results.