Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday of the year - it's got all the goodness and deliciousness without the commercialism of Christmas, and all religious beliefs (or lack thereof) are invited!
On Thanksgiving with my family, we go around the table and say what we're feeling thankful for. This year there was a lot of talk of family & health, but video games were also added in there. Gratitude can be for both big & small things!
We also have a gratitude jar that sits in our dining room. It's just a mason jar - we write what we're grateful for and put it in the jar to acknowledge at the time, and to look back on in the months or years to come. We started it shortly before my son broke his arm (for the second time!!!) and it was amazing during that trying time to see all of the things we were grateful for - a nurse at Sick Kids who was extra kind, a neighbour who dropped off lego to play with, the bandage they put on my sons stuffed snowman when they both went in for surgery, etc. When we dump out the jar and read the entries, we always laugh and smile. These days, we're too lazy to write the gratitude entries down - so we just say them over dinnertime. I don't like it as much, but I'm still happy that we're doing some sort of regular gratitude practice.
There are numerous studies on the effect of regularly practicing gratitude and rates of depression & anxiety. I think that most people during the pandemic are either abnormally stressed out or suffering slightly from one or the other. I'd encourage you to start a gratitude jar, on your own ,or with your roommates or family.
Today I can tell you that I'm grateful to be at the office helping people AND I'm grateful for the warm weather & sunshine in Toronto!
I'd love to hear about what you're grateful for.
If you need some help managing your stress or moods, please do reach out!
