Q&A: The importance of counting your blessings

Licensed psychologist Gale Hobson, director of Mercy behavioral health, explains the importance of being positive and taking time each day to be thankful for what you have.

Why is it important to take time to be thankful?

People should slow down and count their blessings, Hobson said, in part because research shows it can improve your mental health and the health of people around you.

“We know from research that it really does make a difference,” Hobson said. “That changes the way your brain is processing your thoughts, and that affects your feelings, and therefore you do better.”

It's important to take time for your own mental well-being, even it's for two minutes of the day.

“And then pass that on,” she said.

How does our culture affect how we act during the holidays?

Americans often rush and forget to look around them to appreciate what's good in life, Hobson said.