Great way to relax and add a smile to your face

Have you ever thanked the clerk that helped you with that perfect purchase or the grocery checker that rang up your much needed ingredients for last night's dinner? When is the last time you thanked your spouse or family member for doing small tasks that help make your life just a little bit easier?

When we show gratitude, either through conversation or journally, our mind begins to relax and our bodies follow. Gratitude can be the one thing that can bring peace to a busy (monkey) mind, a restless body or an aggravated situation.

Gratitude has been linked to stress relief and can also help with depression and anxiety. The Harvard Medical School states that expressing gratitude can lead to feeling good and feeling good can lead to positive behaviors changes.

So the next time you're stressed, upset or not feeling up to par, start with what is going well in your life and linger in that feeling of thankfulness. It may just be the medicine you and those around you need.