This Thanksgiving, Thank Yourself ❤️

PC: Rumeysa Aydin on Unsplash

 

It’s not the end of the year yet, but long weekends that are closer to December can feel like the briefest pauses before daily life speeds up again. Thanksgiving usually means meeting family or sitting down together for a leisurely meal. Family time, travel and long weekends bring with them their own shopping, prepping and to-do lists. It’s a different kind of busy, and not necessarily for the better.

If you’re prepping for the long weekend with one hand and juggling holiday planning with the other, take a minute (or three) to show yourself some self-love. 

One way to appreciate yourself is to be grateful for all that is meaningful and valuable in your life. Self love is a form of gratitude. 

Acknowledging your achievements and thanking yourself for all that you’ve done can fill you with positive emotions and boost your mood. Gratitude can be the hidden power that was always within you.

Research associates gratitude strongly and consistently with greater happiness. In the long term, it also brings physical, psychological and social benefits. You’re likely to build immunity, sleep better, feel more optimistic, more forgiving, more outgoing and less isolated.  

 

Be proud of all that you’ve done

No matter how hard you work or how many lists you complete, it can feel like the season of work never ends. Celebrate every task you complete and every routine you continue today, even if it’s in a small way.

 

Remember the little things that make life fun

You might be visiting family this year or they might be coming to you. For some of us, getting together for Thanksgiving brings its own conflict and drama. If it’s one of the few times of the year you’re meeting the family, this can be an opportunity to create happy memories, for yourself and for others. If you’re traveling, a change of scene is the perfect time to reflect on the year and thank yourself for all that you’ve actually achieved.

 

The Gratitude Journal

You can open the Gratitude Journal from the Home screen or below your Tonight section on the  My Day page. Write, record or capture an image of something you feel good about. 

We get that if you haven’t done it before, gratitude journaling can feel like another to-do, task or routine for your already overflowing schedule.

Think of it as a way to remind yourself of everything that is special about your life just as it is.   

Each time you go to the Gratitude journal, the prompt changes, so feel free to switch them to what resonates most with you in the moment.