• Each evening this week, try practicing a basic examen prayer, looking back on the moments of your day that appear significant. Journal what you notice. (Note: Whenever we talk about journaling, this doesn’t have to be a formal or exhaustive practice—simply jot down some bullet points or key phrases that will help mark what you’re noticing, nothing longer than a tweet.)

• If you carry a small notebook or a notes app around with you, you might try keeping this practice up during your day, whenever you notice something significant you can bring into your examen later.

• As you practice a daily examen for about a week, what do you notice might seem to come more easily, as though there's a kind of grace to it? What seems to be a little more difficult, like there's some friction you're experiencing? Is there anything different you'd like to try in your examen?

• Looking back on a week of journaling and examen, were there any gifts, graces or encouragements in your day that perhaps you'd forgotten but were reminded of by reflecting back? What other kinds of things did you notice?

• What hopes might you have for these practices in your life going forward?

"How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain," Greater Good Magazine