Happy Thanksgiving! Whatever today looks like for you (and I'm sure it looks different for everyone), there is a reason to celebrate, no matter how small.
Expressing gratitude is practice that we should implement everyday, not just over the holiday season. Everyone from mental health professionals and productivity experts expound on the benefits of an attitude of gratitude. (Not convinced? Check out this study from Berkley or this one from Harvard.)
The Bible, of course, also speaks on this subject a lot. The Psalms are filled with songs of thanksgiving. I truly believe that gratitude should be a hallmark of the Christian lifestyle, as stated in I Thess. 5:16-18 (NKJV): "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Gratitude should be entwined in our daily lives just as much as prayer is.
Unfortunately, expressing gratitude doesn't come naturally. Our brains have a negativity bias, which means we have a tendency to give the bad things more weight and attention than the good. Maintaining an attitude of gratitude will take some brain training.
One simple way to cultivate gratitude is to keep a gratitude log.
I keep a monthly gratitude log in my bullet journal. While I'm not perfect at filling it out everyday, taking a minute or two to write down something that I'm grateful each night helps me shift my own negativity bias.
Gratitude logs also serve as great reminders of the good we may have forgotten. A few months ago I had pulled out my old bullet journals and reread my gratitude logs. I don't think I was in a particularly bad mood or even a good mood that day, but it was still an instant mood-booster.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving and sharing gratitude with others, here's a list of 52 things that I've been grateful for this year:
my church small group
movie nights
my family's health
having a warm comfy bed
each piece of clothing I own
FaceTime (and all the other video-chatting options)
reading
the beauty of other languages
my job
podcasts
peak fall season
family dinners
creativity
God's protection
bonfires with friends
discovering new German music
Bible studies
Agents of SHIELD's final season (the show in general)
having an opportunity to speak German
the smell of rain
do nothing days
working out
Jesus' grace
my Hyphen group
pancakes
funny TikToks
Sunday School
having a roof over my head
all of my travel experiences
buying a new desk and chair
the Pomodoro technique
being editor-in-chief of The SWORD
car ride worship sessions
a room to clean
hot chocolate
the fact that cats exist
my professors
finally buying Doc Martens after wanting them for years
running water
bullet journaling
2am heart-to-hearts in the car
pretty stationery
What are some things you're grateful for this year?
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