If Meditating Doesn't Work For You, Here's Another Way To Alleviate Stress

Studies show meditation can alleviate stress and reduce anxiety, but some people just can't get their minds to stop racing.

This is especially true for Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint and blogger at Mark's Daily Apple. As a result, Sisson tried another approach: practicing gratitude. He told HuffPost Live host Nancy Redd that there's also scientific research behind what can be achieved by expressing thankfulness on a regular basis.

"Every time we have a thought, negative or positive, it has a hormonal impact on our body, and the challenge is to sort of corral these thoughts into the direction of positive so that we get these endorphins, we get these feel-good hormones, we support positive behavior, positive outlook, positive outcomes," Sisson said.

Sisson has never had an easy time with meditation or other stress reducers, but when he started expressing gratitude and implementing it into his regular routine, he saw noticeable differences.

"I found that gratitude and a regular daily gratitude exercise affected my stress levels so positively -- literally lowering cortisol and adrenal and all the other negative hormones that are generated on a chronic basis as a result of stress," he said.

If you want to live a life of contentment, happiness and fulfillment, Sisson thinks practicing gratitude is "probably the No. 1 skill we can develop."

Watch the clip above to learn more about the power of thankfulness.

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