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Team Kaylie star Symera Jackson is dedicating this year to cultivating gratitude—and, honestly, you should be doing the exact same thing. 

There's a ton of scientific proof that keeping a daily gratitude journal (which is just what it sounds like—taking a little time every day to actually write down a couple of things you're currently feeling grateful for) can benefit your life in every conceivable way. Gratitude journaling has been shown to lead to better physical and mental health, better sleep, less stress, and overall higher levels of happiness. 

We caught up with Symera, who explained exactly how she's tracking her own gratitude these days. 

"My goal this year is to cultivate positivity/gratitude," she told us. "Every day, I plan to write down 2 things I am grateful for in a journal. This simple action will help me focus my energy on the positives in life. Today I wrote down 'I’m grateful for my dad making homemade waffles on Sunday’s', and I also wrote, 'I’m grateful for my comfy couch where I can curl up and read books.'"

In addition to Team Kaylie, you might remember seeing Symera in the chilling Sandy Hook Promise PSA that went viral last year. 

"I am honored to be a part of such an influential project as the Sandy Hook Promise 'Back to School Essentials' PSA," Symera said of her role in the harrowing video that brought attention to the epidemic of gun violence in American schools. "Given the recent situations that have occurred in our country, this PSA shows the dark fate of our society if we [as the people] don’t make a change. School shootings have become too frequent, so it is imperative that the message of anti-gun violence is shared."

"Filming this PSA was challenging for me, because I am a high school student myself," she added. "The bathroom stall scene where I’m hunched down hiding from the shooter, felt horribly eerie and chilling for it was a realistic scenario that sadly has happened way too much.  In order to protect us and future generations, humanity must work towards change for a world without gun violence, and I thank the Sandy Hook Promise for all that they do." 

To see more of Symera, catch up on Team Kaylie on Netflix now. 

by Kayleigh R. | 2/7/2020