thanksgiving (noun): the expression of gratitude
Wherever tomorrow’s holiday finds you…
with family, friends, or solo…may you find a quiet moment to give thanks for the blessings in your life.
The Power of Thanksgiving
Research has shown that positive neurological changes occur with the expression of gratitude, some of them lasting for months. From better sleep to improved health, the expression of gratitude (a.k.a. thanksgiving) is as beneficial to the giver as it is to the receiver.
You don’t even have to express the gratitude to anyone in particular. Prayers of thanks and private gratitude journals impart the same benefits as telling someone how much you appreciate a gift or simply their presence in your life. In one study, participants wrote letters of gratitude that didn’t even have to be sent to create the same beneficial changes in their brains.
Where Do I Begin?
If you’re feeling less than thankful for your current life circumstances, try starting at the base of Maslow’s hierarchy: air, water, food, shelter, clothing. Unless you’re lying naked, starving, and dehydrated in adverse weather outside an EPA-violating factory, you’ve got a thing or two to begin with.
One quick and easy exercise to try is simply to make a list of things you enjoy. Reminiscing about people, places, events, or things that brought you joy allows you to give thanks for the opportunity to have experienced them in your life. Guiding your brain down the path of positive memories can have a rapid impact on both your current mood and your future outlook.
The Law of Attraction
From Einstein and Jung, we have ideas relating the attraction between like energies and the concept of synchronicity. If those fortuitous possibilities arise from doing our best to maintain an attitude of gratitude, we’re all in!
This year had its fair (or shall we say unfair) share of challenges for us at OPM. Our reliance on a gratitude practice of refocusing on the things we remained thankful for was key to being able to show up and attract the contracts and employees that continue to move us forward. We have learned to face setbacks as challenges or signposts on the way to something better. We wish the same for you.
