Gratitude doesn’t come naturally to me.

When it comes to practicing gratitude, one approach is thinking of people less fortunate. I try to avoid comparing myself to others — it doesn’t resonate with me because I struggle to empathize in that way. Instead, I’ve found it much easier to use myself as the reference point.

I also find it difficult to identify positive aspects of my life. For me, it is easier to think of the negative: what could be worse!

So my approach to gratitude involves recognizing how my current situation could always be worse. For example, during COVID:

• Quarantine felt tough, but I reminded myself it could be worse — I could be sick too.
• When I was sick, I thought, at least I haven’t lost my sense of taste and smell.
• And if that happened, I’d imagine how much harder it would be to be hospitalized.

Next time you’re struggling with practicing gratitude, try flipping the perspective: use negative framing to identify positives about your life.