Understand what gratitude is and what gratitude isn't. Gratitude is about appreciating the positive aspects of our situation, NOT focusing on how our life isn't as bad as others'. This insight comes from a study on young people who kept gratitude journals. Those whose journals focused on comparing themselves to others didn't get the same benefits as those who journaled on what they were grateful for.
A grateful disposition can rewire the brain. Gratitude engages our brain in a virtuous cycle. It's hard to focus on both positive and negative stimuli at the same time, so it makes sense to give our mind lots of gratitude fuel. As Korb writes, "Once you start seeing things to be grateful for, your brain starts looking for more things to be grateful for."