November is National Gratitude Month. I love seeing gratitude quotes throughout the month on social media as well as friends’ daily gratitude. It’s nice to focus on a month of gratitude, but I’d like to make a case for extending this attitude of gratitude and making it a lifetime, daily habit.

It is amazing how something as simple as gratitude can brighten your day and even improve your health. A Harvard Mental Health Letter titled “In Praise of Gratitude” reads, “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

That’s a lot of positive benefits for something that seems so simple. With the promise of greater happiness, improved health, better relationships and greater ability to deal with challenges, why does there need to be a “National Gratitude” month to focus on gratitude? The fact is, simple doesn’t mean easy.

The reality is that life is busy. Gratitude requires conscious awareness and effort. With any good practice, like brushing and flossing your teeth, you reap the benefits when you make it a habit.

Consider incorporating one or more of these seven practices to help you make gratitude a habit.

• Be present. Make a conscious effort to notice the good throughout the day.
• Don’t compare yourself with others. Rather than comparing your weaknesses with other’s strengths, notice and express gratitude for your own strengths.
• Write it down. At the end of the day, write down three positive things from the day. Feel the positive emotions associated with feeling thankful.
• Say thank you. When someone does something nice for you, make a point to say thank you, whether a verbal “thank you,” or a written note.
• Reframe negative experiences. When something doesn’t go according to plan, rather than beating yourself up or dwelling on the negative, look for the potential good in the situation. You may experience frustration with yourself, friends, or family members, but weathering storms can become cherished memories when you choose to look for a positive lesson to be learned or find the humor in situations outside of your control.
• Have a gratitude partner. Set a time of day to call or text one another something you are grateful for.
• Be consistent. Make these practices a way of life. Where possible, have a regular routine around one or more of these habits with consistent places and times. For example, you could keep your journal or planner next your bed, and before going to bed each night, write down three positive things from the day. You could do an “End of Week Review” Sunday afternoon and write down your successes, lessons you’ve learned and skills you have developed. Or perhaps you could sit at your kitchen table and write a thank you note on Sundays after lunch.

It’s not always easy to express gratitude, especially when you are experiencing dark days, but expressing gratitude can help you through a hard time. Research has shown that regularly expressing gratitude helps you feel happier, have better relationships, better health and a more positive outlook. Watch your life improve as you incorporate gratitude habits into your life, not just this month, but every day.

Pamela Henrie is the owner of The Success Choice, LLC, and the creator of The Success Choice System and Planner, as well as the Choosing Joy in the Journey Journals. To learn more, you can go to www.TheSuccessChoice.com.

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