Many of us celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, and it probably looked a lot different than it has in the past. Did you travel? Stay home? Connect with loved ones on Zoom? Treat it as a humdrum, normal Thursday?
2020 has tested our patience, resilience, and mental health in ways we couldn’t have imagined at this time last year. Many of us have spent the last 8 months or so trying to avoid getting sick, protecting our families, navigating having COVID, dealing with the loss of income and/or loved ones, and having to pivot…and pivot…and, yes, pivot yet again.
But something that remains true no matter how hard things are is that a gratitude practice makes things better. Yes, really—even now. Especially now.
So, where do we start? Let’s start with the low-hanging fruit, the cynical stuff—the silver linings of a pandemic Thanksgiving:
You probably didn’t have to pack and travel with tons of other stressed travelers
You didn’t have to deep clean your house to avoid Aunt Linda’s judgmental comments
You didn’t have to get into a screaming match with your racist cousin when the topic of BLM protests came up at the dinner table
You didn’t have to spend hours preparing a meal for people who zonk out on the couch the minute they’re done eating, leaving a huge mess
You didn’t have to get asked when you’re having kids for the hundredth time by your grandmother
These are all definite perks—even though I’m sure you’d rather have a “normal Thanksgiving” any day over one in a pandemic, where seeing your loved ones could possibly kill them. Such high stakes!
And as we enter the darkest, coldest part of the year, we’ll need to dig deep. As COVID cases rise, and as seasonal depression collides with all the other types of depression and isolation we’re going through together in 2020, we’ll need to focus on gratitude more than ever.
And that’s not just my theory—there’s hard science behind it. Psychologist David DeSteno even said in a NYT piece last year that gratitude is wasted on Thanksgiving—that we should strive for it all the time.
So, what are you thankful for?
At a basic level, if you’re reading this, you’re not one of the 1.34 million lives the pandemic has claimed worldwide so far. So, you’re still breathing for one.
Do you have loved ones that, even if you can’t see in person this year, you can reach out to during this cold winter—and that you look forward to reuniting with once it’s safe?
Got a warm home? A cozy bed? A rad job? A loving partner? You most likely will not have all of these, but I bet you have more than you’d guess. Take pen to paper—write it all out, and your list may surprise you.
There are so many things we take for granted all the time that we can put a spotlight on during tough times. And it doesn’t mean things aren’t super hard, that we don’t feel like giving up…it just means that, especially at this time of year, we can take stock of what we do have and be thankful.
I am so grateful for my clients, my friends, the new baby in my extended family…and YOU. Thanks for being here!
