There’s a simple practice you can add to your daily routine that’s been shown to improve well-being, lift your mood, and even reduce feelings of depression.

If you’re interested, there are three simple hurdles you’ll need to overcome to get these benefits.

1. Many people struggle to find happiness. To truly be happier, it helps to do things that most people overlook.
2. If you want to be happier than normal, you will need to do something different to what you normally do! That makes sense doesn’t it?
3. Many people have heard about this practice but dismissed it without giving it a fair chance. To see the benefits in your life, you need to approach it with an open mind, and give it a serious go.

The good news is that extensive research has proven this practice works. In fact, 38 academic studies involving 5,223 participants have demonstrated its effectiveness.

The practice I am talking about is a Gratitude Practice.

Here is how you do it. You can use a journal, a piece of paper, or even your phone—whatever works best for you. Each night, write down three things you’re grateful for. For each, answer these two questions: why are you grateful for that, and what contributed to it happening?

Generally, the entire process will take 5 minutes.

Here are three suggestions that have really helped me:

• Be grateful for the small things: Recognize the small moments of joy, as they are just as important as the big ones.
• Focus on different things each day: Try to avoid repeating the same entries every day to keep your practice fresh.
• Keep an open mind: Do the practice without expectations, and commit to doing it for at least two weeks before evaluating any results.

I invite you to do something different to everyone else, something new for you, and start doing a gratitude practice, so you can experience the results that 5,223 people already have. Taking just five minutes a day could change how you feel—both now and in the future. You deserve to feel happier.