When times are tough, it can be difficult to see past our troubles. It’s natural to dwell on the things that are right in front of us.

For the Oliver family, we’ve been dealing with health issues that go beyond the decade we’ve been dealing with husband Tony’s Alzheimer’s disease. His illness, of course, isn’t getting better and actually has been noticeably worse this year.

For others, it’s the relentless uncertainty of the economic times we live in. Inflation is still around, and food prices are squeezing everyone. Then there was the government shutdown that imperiled the food benefits some of our neighbors receive. Even now, many of us deal with the uncertainty of our health insurance for next year.

It’s no wonder that a lot of us are struggling with feelings of despair and anxiety.

So how can we cope when it seems our world is crumbling around us? Although it might seem elementary, the answer can be found in cultivating gratitude.

While gratitude can’t take away the difficult things in our lives, it can help us to shift our focus. Because no matter how bleak a situation appears, there’s always something that we can appreciate. An optimistic outlook can give us the strength to keep going, whereas a negative outlook oftentimes can sap us of our strength.

For instance, as hard as life can be as a caregiver for my husband with dementia, I’m glad that we’re still together. I’m grateful that I can continue to express my love for him in tangible ways as I try to make his life as happy as possible.

Scientific research bears out the benefits of gratitude in contributing to resilience and a happier life.

It also can lower levels of stress and reduce depression. That makes sense because the things we choose to focus on can have a positive or negative effect on our mood. It’s not that we should ignore the bad things going on in our lives, but we just can’t make them the only thing we see.

Gratitude can help us with our self-esteem because we aren’t always trying to compare our life with everyone else’s. If we see the good in our own situation, we’re less likely to feel threatened by other people’s accomplishments.

Gratitude also brings health benefits, such as better sleep. If we aren’t spinning on all the bad things in our lives, chances are good that we’ll be able to get a better night’s sleep. Not always, but it can help.

We might have heart benefits, too. If gratitude helps us to have lower stress levels, then we’re probably not putting as much strain on our heart. Negativity is hard on not just our head.

There also may be some benefit to our immune system because there is a mind and body connection that we ignore at our own risk.

So where do we start if we need to jump-start our gratitude muscle? After all, this isn’t exactly natural for a lot of us.

Harvard Health Publishing in an article titled “Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness and may even lengthen live” offers these six questions that can help us get the ball rolling:

What happened today that was good?

What am I taking for granted that I can be thankful for?

Which people in my life am I grateful for?

What is the last book I read or movie, show or social media clip that I really appreciated, and why?

What am I most looking forward to this week, month and year, and why?

What is the kindest thing someone has said or done lately?

Other sources suggest keeping a journal and writing down three (or whatever number you choose) things that you are grateful for that day. The idea is to not repeat the same things again and to be consistent with the practice. Some families try this at the dinner table each day.

In my own case, I find that I’m a more effective caregiver when I try to focus on what’s going right rather than on what’s going wrong. I’m less exhausted and I’m better able to shift gears when I have a problem to solve.

It’s not always easy, and it has taken me some time. But I’m grateful that I put in the work to get here.

• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.