It’s been 397 years since the English colonists to Massachusetts – better known as the Pilgrims – invited their Wampanoag Tribe neighbors – to celebrate their first successful harvest with several days of feasting. This is where we can trace our modern-day roots of Thanksgiving but, I wonder, are we still as thankful for the basics in our lives as the settlers and Native Americans were nearly 400 years ago?
While Thanksgiving was not declared a national holiday until 1863 under a proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, many states and other presidents had declared occasional days of Thanksgiving as an opportunity to thank God, share blessings with family and neighbors, and celebrate everything they had.
In the fast-paced world we live in today when the world is at your fingertips, and our phones do the work it took 20 devices to handle just a couple of decades ago, it’s easy to see Thanksgiving as merely a day off. It’s a weigh station between Halloween and Christmas and is just the beginning of the crazy shopping season.
With all of this in mind, this is a great time to pause and think about how we can be grateful for what we have, and maybe pick up a couple of good habits that stick with us longer than just the fourth Thursday of November.
Remind Yourself to be Grateful – Did you know science has proven that if you sit down and list the things you are grateful for, even as few as five things, that you will eventually rewire your brain to become more thankful within eight weeks naturally? A 2015 study by a neuropsychologist showed that brain patterns change after only 60 days, resulting in increased empathy and happiness. Make this part of your everyday routine, either when brushing your teeth, taking a shower or as you begin to fall asleep at night, the results will blow your mind!
Keep a Gratitude Journal – If you’re unable to come up with things to be grateful for with the mindfulness activity listed above, force yourself to write down the reasons you are thankful. Along with focusing your attention, you’ll have a written log of the things you’re thankful for, and that can come in handy to look back upon when you’re not feeling too great.
Call, Don’t Write – There is a group that studies the science of happiness that experimented about five years ago to gauge the change in emotion of people when they express gratitude toward others. When their subjects wrote a letter of appreciation, their happiness increased between 2 and 4 percent. When they picked up the telephone and called the same person, their happiness increased between 4 and 19 percent!
Don’t Be Alone – Sometimes, when we’re feeling depressed or angry at the world, we want to be left alone. That actually can cause things to continue to spiral downward. It’s been proven in study after study that spending time with loved ones – friends or family – picks us up during those down times and a big piece of it has to do with being grateful for having these people in our lives.
Give Something Back – Have you ever seen the person ringing the Salvation Army bell as you leave a store during the holiday season? Maybe you’ve even given a dollar. Why don’t you volunteer to ring the bell? If that’s not your thing, there are plenty of activities and organizations that could use you as a volunteer. When you help others, you make note of all you already have.
So, as you sit down at the Thanksgiving table, take stock of what you’re thankful for before gorging yourself with turkey and cranberry sauce. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be only once a year. Practicing being grateful is a habit you should get into year-round.
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