5 Steps to Practicing Thanksgiving Year-Round
For most of us, the holidays tap into collective rituals and sentiments. Familiar feelings and memories take over, which explains why so many of us look forward to the holiday season. Independence Day reminds us of hot summer days spent outside, BBQing with family, playing card games, and watching the skies for beautiful (and loud) light displays. Christmas warms our hearts with surges of goodwill and generosity. We look forward to the decorations, the parties, and family traditions. These emotions, though genuine, often feel heightened during these designated times and slowly fade away as the holidays end.
The same pattern accompanies Thanksgiving. Gratitude becomes a frequent part of our vocabulary in November but starts to slip into the background as the days transition from the holiday season into the new year. Sure, gratitude or the practice of thankfulness may show up on some New Year’s resolution lists, but often become forgotten as the busyness of everyday life takes over. Holidays hold a kind of magic that encourages compartmentalization in that we act or feel a specific way because of the day itself. While these pockets of focused sentiment throughout the year should always remain special, it is powerful when we allow them to drive our everyday actions.
We have all read the numerous neuroscientific studies explaining how gratitude promotes happiness—its benefits extend far beyond the isolated holiday feelings. Gratitude positively impacts our mental, emotional, and physical health.
Mental Well-Being: Studies suggest that practicing gratitude daily rewires our brain by reinforcing pathways associated with positive emotions. This serves to counterbalance our negativity bias—or our brain’s tendency to focus on threats and setbacks.
Emotional Resilience: Expressing gratitude doesn’t mean we ignore challenging times. Instead, it’s a practice that allows us to have perspective and still find appreciation for the good that exists in our lives despite the obstacles we face. This fosters resilience by enabling us to face difficulties with greater strength.
Improved Relationships: Communicating gratitude builds greater connections. This practice reminds those around us (and ourselves) that they matter, which deepens the bonds we share and creates a habit of genuine appreciation.
The real challenge becomes breaking free from the “holiday-only” mindset and the pressures they bring to feel or act a certain way when what we need is to make the act of gratitude an ongoing part of our lives. If you are like me, you may now be thinking, “I do this already,” while remembering all the times you said thank you when the barista handed you your chestnut praline latte with an extra shot. But what about expressing gratitude to others intentionally and unprompted. If we can manage those moments of meaningful connection, the benefits can be exponential.
Rethink the “Special Occasion” Mentality: Don’t wait for Memorial Day to think about loved ones we have lost or those who sacrificed their lives in honor of a higher calling. If we take the time to look around, there are at least a dozen things we could be grateful for, such as a sunny day (as we head into winter), someone who holds the elevator open, or the Amazon delivery driver who didn’t drop kick your package to the front door.
Create Year-Round Rituals: Just like you need to incorporate physical activity into your daily life, gratitude must be intentional. You don’t need to choose the Hallmark movie method where everyone gathers around the table to share what they’re thankful for (unless you do and then, good for you). Even beginning or ending your day with a minute to look around and reflect on all you have or all you accomplished in your last 24 hours. By creating rituals, they anchor gratitude into your life.
Expand Your Scope: Holidays tend to focus our gratitude on big-ticket items like, family, health, and home. But gratitude isn’t limited to the monumental. We should look for the little things to be thankful for—a third cup of coffee, a fellow hiker giving you ‘the nod’ (if you know, you know), or the fact that you looked down during your walk and side-stepped a gift that the brand-new puppy in apartment 4A left behind. These quintessentially human moments are equally beautiful and worthy of appreciation.
Act on Gratitude: It is true, there is a lot of sound research that proves the personal benefits of feeling thankful. But don’t be selfish with your gratitude—express it. When someone holds the door for you, take time to look that person in the eye and let them know you appreciate the gesture. Write an email and let someone know that the advice they gave you years ago proved to be valuable and that you appreciate their insights. Or tell the little two-year-old in the laundry room, thank you, when he dragged your clean towels across the floor to the dryer. He was doing his best, and the world needs more men who know how to do laundry. Action solidifies gratitude, making it tangible and impactful.
Reframe Challenges: At times, life is hard, disappointing, and frustrating—for everyone. It rarely turns out like we expected or imagined. When these difficult seasons find us, it can be easy to get so caught up in whining about what life isn’t, that we forget to take in all that our life is. Looking back through human history; things could certainly be worse. It takes searching for the little silver linings to remember what we’ve learned, how we’ve grown, and who has supported us. It’s letting our friends know how much we appreciated the times they let us cry into our cacio e pepe as we hashed out whose turn it was to take the trash out. By reframing challenges with gratitude, we build emotional resilience.
Thanksgiving has its charm and nostalgia—it provides a collective pause; a day set aside to reflect and appreciate. But we should not use it as a boundary for temporary gratitude. Instead of allowing this holiday to define our relationship with thankfulness, we should use it as an annual check-in on our gratitude practice throughout the past year. Asking whether we have healthier mindsets, stronger relationships, and a more compassionate outlook on life.
Gratitude is a way of seeing the world. There is little within our control, but our happiness can be helped along—with a little expression of thankfulness.
From the EduCred Services Team to all our followers, those we know and those we’ve yet to meet, thank you for taking the time to read our blogs! We wish you all a Thanksgiving holiday that does not limit or define your gratitude!
