Gratitude has consistently been shown to lower stress, reduce pain, boost immunity, and improve blood pressure and heart function. Here’s how to spread gratitude not just on Thanksgiving…but always.​

We released a micro learning video series on how to express gratitude so it sticks, and these tools are easy to learn.  Neuroscientist Glen Fox has spent his entire adult life studying gratitude. “Grateful people tend to recover faster from trauma and injury, have better and closer personal relationships and may even just have improved health overall.” Fox did an experiment using brain-imaging scans to map which circuits in the brain become active when we feel grateful.

“We saw that the participants’ ratings of gratitude correlated with activity in a set of brain regions associated with interpersonal bonding and with relief from stress,” he said. To up your conscious gratitude, Fox suggests keeping a gratitude journal. On a regular basis, write down what you are grateful for, even if those things seem mundane. The positive effect is cumulative so it’s a good idea to make this a habit. You can also write letters of gratitude to those who have helped you along your way. Says Fox, “I think that gratitude can be much more like a muscle, like a trained response or a skill that we can develop over time.”

When was the last time you actively expressed gratitude, and how did you feel? To join the conversation, click on "comments" below -- we would love to hear from you!

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Want to return from vacation sharper and more energized?  It’s not just about the downtime — recharge by learning something new.

Enter the Skill-cation: a getaway built around learning a skill, mastering a challenge, or diving into a creative pursuit. Research shows these kinds of vacations don’t just refresh your body — they reset your mind.

Here’s why skill-cations are gaining serious momentum:
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• They break the burnout loop: Learning something new forces your brain to shift focus, helping you escape work stress and mental fatigue.
• They make rest more rewarding: Physical and mental effort during a skill-cation leads to deeper sleep and a stronger sense of relaxation.
• They boost confidence: You return home with a new skill — and a renewed sense of accomplishment that fuels motivation long after the trip ends.
• They redefine leisure: Experts say “productive leisure” (like learning, painting, hiking, or volunteering) delivers longer-lasting satisfaction than passive downtime.

Want to feel sharper, more fulfilled, and ready to tackle life when you return? Take a skill-cation — and come back better than ever.