We focus a lot on gratitude around Thanksgiving but it's really something that we should develop as a life-long habit. I've gotten through the darkest hours of my life by simply being grateful for the little things. Even when things seem impossibly dark, there is always a glimmer somewhere. Perhaps you can only be grateful that you are alive. But that's something isn't it? How about being grateful that you can see? Or hear? Or move your limbs? Or think? Remember that for every one thing you can do, there is someone who can't.

A gratitude journal is an amazing tool. If you're feeling blue (a very common occurrence around the holidays) grab a notebook and write down as many things as you can think of each morning to be grateful for. If you're like me and not a morning person, just say them into a tape recorder, or your cell if it has a recording ap. Then, play it back when you have time and write it all down. You'll be amazed at how much this little task can improve your outlook and your mood!!