What are you thankful for?
This is the cliché but excellent question asked across American dinner tables on Thanksgiving. It’s also something we’ve been trying to ask ourselves every day this year.
When you turn giving thanks into an intentional daily gratitude practice, it can help relieve stress and improve your overall well being. A study from 2015 found that “an attitude of gratitude is related to better mood and sleep, less fatigue, more self-efficacy, and a lower cellular inflammatory index.” Other studies found gratitude can promote higher self-esteem while reducing depression and anxiety. (Did we mention it is free and doesn’t require a prescription?)
Even when everything seems to be one big mess – when we’re in the middle of a pandemic, missing loved ones we didn’t get to grieve, in a country that feels more divided than ever – we have things and people to be grateful for. And taking a half-minute to recognize that can truly make us feel better.
In October, our team was thinking about how thankful we are to our bodies, for carrying us through the day, enabling us to nourish ourselves, to connect with others (even when it’s through zoom), and ultimately to move – get from point A to point B, dance it out, shake off stale energies. We asked members of our Facebook Group to share why they’re thankful for their bodies, and received beautiful responses. Here are a few:
Are you thankful to your body too? Let us know in the comments.
And, if you’re looking to reap the well-being boosting benefits, try asking yourself the question “what do I have to be thankful for?” every day. To make it easy to remember, you can add it to one of your existing habits and do it while you brush your teeth or drink your morning coffee.