This Thanksgiving, try small acts of thankful living

If you’re like me, Thanksgiving always seems to crop up out of nowhere at one of the busiest and bleakest times of the year.

Workplaces are launching into end-of-year madness, students are overwhelmed by final projects, and with Daylight Savings Time firmly tucked away until next spring, baby, it’s cold outside and dark by 5pm.

All that said, Thanksgiving is still one of my favorite holidays of the year. 

It’s a day focused completely on celebrating the people we love and all the reasons we have to be grateful. And, corny as some may find it, I adore the post-turkey game of taking turns around the table, with each guest expressing what they’re most thankful for this year. 

I find the practice both soothing and uplifting. The thing is, simple gratitude doesn’t just make you appear profound in the midst of a tryptophan haze. 

Ongoing, daily gratitude is notably good for your health and overall well-being.

I was recently delighted to learn about the existence of a scientific publication called the Journal of Happiness Studies. (How great is that title?) In 2010, they featured a study showing that grateful high-school students have better grades and fewer instances of depression than their peers with a less thankful attitude. 

Grateful thoughts can also help you get a good night’s sleep – at any age. According to a 2011 study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, the practice of jotting down grateful thoughts every evening helps people worry less at bedtime and sleep both longer and better.

According to researchers, gratefulness can even boost immune health, because grateful thoughts are linked with optimism. A study from the University of Utah demonstrated that, even among highly stressed individuals, optimists produce more immune-boosting blood cells than pessimistic folks.

I know the concept that gratefulness brings stress relief, improved relationships, and a better quality of life has been bandied about so much it can all feel a bit trite. “Sure,” we think, “I’d love to stop and count my blessings. But I’m so busy and exhausted that I’ll drop all the balls if I stop juggling long enough to write a freaking gratitude journal!”

If being actively grateful sounds like loading one too many sides on an already overflowing plate, don’t worry. Because I have one more tiny reason to us all to be grateful: 

It turns out, taking just a few seconds to concentrate on even a very small source of happiness can still bring a large endorphin boost. 

I believe everyone can find five or ten seconds in their day to smile over a funny joke, enjoy the thought of a dear friend, or even gloat over how proud they are that – this year, at last – they got the skin on the turkey perfectly brown and crispy.

With that in mind, I’d like to share one of my favorite poems, by Wendy Cope. It beautifully illustrates the manageable, bit-by-bit approach to thankful living.

“At lunchtime I bought a huge orange—
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I got a half.

And that orange it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all my jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.”

Best wishes from MedPost, with hopes that you and yours have a very happy Thanksgiving!

– Jennie Saia, Contributing Editor