While we are all excited for Christmas and many view Thanksgiving as a pitstop to recharge on a feast between holidays and the busiest time of year, I love Thanksgiving and see it as a brilliant opportunity to be grateful. In the past year, having gratitude and practicing being grateful for the little things has been hard. From pandemics to political uproar, life has not exactly felt care free. But I recently tried putting into practice daily moments of gratitude. Each day I would open my journal and write down 5-10 things that I was grateful for in my life. They ranged in how big or small they were. Some were my friends, my amazing mom, or even the Starbucks barista writing a smiley face on my drink. I soon found that I started each day on a positive note and tackling daily tasks seemed less like a burden. So why is practicing gratitude important? Well there’s actually scientific reasons and studies that show practicing gratefulness is amazing for one’s mental health.
In an article from Harvard Health, positive psychology research showed that practicing gratefulness is strongly associated with greater happiness in people. It helps one relish in positive experiences as well as face adversity with a different mindset (Harvard Health). Another article from Positive Psychology focuses on the neuroscience behind gratitude. When we express gratitude, to ourselves or to others, our brain releases the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which helps to boost our moods substantially. They also describe how it can improve our relationships with ourselves and others (Positive Psychology).
While now is the season of giving thanks, it is important to focus on and expand gratefulness to our everyday lives. It is not an easy task. Stress, depression, and other mental health issues and day to day obstacles can make feeling gratitude even for small things very difficult. Lately, I’ve found taking five minutes and even just plucking at random things to be thankful has made me appreciate the things around me so much more. With everything going on around us and how quickly we learned that can change, I strongly believe it is important to stop and look around and appreciate life when we can.