Writing about Thanksgiving to an audience of mothers is tough. Some of you are very excited about the holiday. You have a loving and supportive extended family that you are looking forward to spending time with. Either you like to cook or somebody else is doing the cooking. Good stuff has happened to you and your kids this year, and you look forward to sharing that. Some of you are very stressed about Thanksgiving, though. Family relationships are strained, money is tight, and this has been a hard year for you all around.
No matter what your circumstances, cultivating thankfulness and gratitude is one of the keys to lasting personal peace. That is something we all can do, if we are willing to try. With that in mind, here are ten reasons for you to be thankful right now.
1. Gratitude puts your eyes on what you have, rather than what you don’t. The key to happiness is not your circumstances, but rather what you focus on. Gratitude keeps your focus where it needs to be.
2. Gratitude is the first step to generosity. A heart that is grateful cannot simultaneously be stingy or greedy. When you know what you have received, it becomes natural to give.
3. Gratitude crowds out negativity. Try it – you just can’t have a bad attitude when you are being grateful. If you feel sullen or surly, write down ten things that you are grateful for and repeat them out loud.
4. Gratitude is attractive. Other people like being around someone who is thankful, which is encouraging and makes it easier to feel cheerful.
5. Gratitude brings peace and tranquility. Focusing with gratitude on the good things about your family, no matter how difficult some of them might be, might just get you through the holidays. Tell as many family members as possible what you are grateful for about them.
6. Gratitude makes hardship easier to bear. Vow to balance every statement you make about what you are missing with a statement of thanks for what you have. You may discover that you have more resources than you thought.
7. Gratitude makes prosperity even better. An attitude of thankfulness keeps us from becoming an Ebenezer Scrooge that hoards the good things life sends our way. In this way, we can have not only prosperity, but also friendship and love.
8. Gratitude keeps us humble. We all have benefactors that have boosted us into the success we enjoy today. Let us be grateful and not forget them on our way to the top.
9. Gratitude shines through us. This world has enough darkness, violence, hardship, and greed. Just being grateful is a powerful way to brighten our little corner of the world.
10. Gratitude is contagious. Sometimes being a mom can be a thankless job. Let’s model for our children how to express gratitude to others, so that they can someday recharge our batteries with their appreciation for what we do.
ABOUT ME
I am Dr. Kimberly Thompson, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Lubbock, Texas. I work with mothers and their children to help them heal, grow, and live their most vibrant lives. My particular expertise is pregnant and postpartum women, and moms of “littles.” My book, Perfect Mothers Get Depressed, is available on Amazon and from Praeclarus Press. If you live within driving distance of Lubbock, you can work with me face-to-face; if you live anywhere else in the state of Texas, you can work with me via online therapy. Send me a message if you need more information, or call my office at (806) 224-0200 if you’re ready to book an appointment.
