GrateFULLness

by Saumya Gopal

The smell of fresh leaves falling, the weather cooling down, some pumpkin pie with a dash of whipped cream in the center, and a whiff of apple cider. Ahhh - Thanksgiving. When friends and families come together to feast, spend time with one another, and spread joy.

What does Thanksgiving even mean? Its origin from back in the day is quite far from the reason many Americans choose to celebrate it today. Thanksgiving also quite literally means the giving of thanks. So, what do we have to be thankful for? Every year, several millions of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, whether it’s for the actual meaning of the Holiday or just to eat an insane amount of sweet potato and turkey. Some families, like mine, decide to verbally give thanks that day and speak on what we are grateful for around the table. Now, don’t get me wrong, speaking on Thanksgiving about gratitude is an amazing step and moment to take to be present and come together, but imagine if you felt that way every day.

Life has its moments and sometimes it feels like the depths of sadness or constant life troubles outweigh the beautiful ones.  In those beautiful moments, we feel like we are on top of the world, we feel euphoric and in tune with our purpose. Like... life is worth living and there is so much more to do and experience. In a second, those moments can vanish and we can feel left with dissociation, imposters syndrome, feeling lost and overwhelmed. How often do we feel those beautiful moments versus the rest? The so many ‘downs’ we face and endure will eventually lead to an ‘up’ or just a great moment - and that’s what we always hope for. But, hoping for this is like looking to the future and glazing over the present. Once you look back, you’ll realize you missed all your beautiful moments because you were too busy looking forward. The power of manifestation, gratitude, and the environment you carry yourself in can completely change your perception of life for the better.

“If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is be present in the present... gratefully.” – Maya Angelou

Gratitude and mental health can coincide. ‘Gratitude’ is derived from the Latin word gratia, meaning gratefulness. Being grateful is being present, recognizing the good things and appreciating what you have. While a lot of appreciation is gone in a fleeting moment, extending that feeling every day can reset your brain to think more positively.  

Harvard Health in 2021 states “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

So how do you incorporate gratitude into your daily life? There are many ways to practice this including writing down what you’re grateful for (many people use gratitude journals), mentally saying thank you after something positive in your life and experiencing the feeling of being present in that moment, and even meditating. Meditating is a great example of being grateful for your breath, thinking positive thoughts and focusing on what your body is doing for you. We often take each part of our bodies and how they function for us for granted. Understanding how small things work together to create your life for you is grounding. For the first few times or even several times of practicing gratitude, writing this down might seem like a temporary feeling. However, after continuously doing this every day, your brain will condition itself to start and end your day on positive notes and eventually start to think differently. It won’t be something you do every day; it’ll be a part of your lifestyle.

Gratitude is a beautiful thing, but its purpose is not to let it hinder you from feeling or processing any negative or deep emotions you’re going through. Many people don’t understand the depths of mental illnesses and severe trauma and will preach “Why are you depressed, you should be grateful” or “you have so many things, why are you sad?” Every person has a complexity of emotions and some people can feel depressed or anxious more often and inevitably more deeply than others. Mindfulness is not meant to invalidate small or big negative feelings you go through. It’s meant to balance yourself so you can rewire your outlook on your own life. You’re not always going to feel grateful in every moment, but practicing and recognizing the good parts can help remind you of what you do have, whether that’s the Thanksgiving stuffing or being with your loved ones.