Health Wise: Boosting Your Mood by Giving Thanks

As we move away from “bright color fall” to “stick season,” the cold and seemingly bland period between pretty leaves and snow, some of us may find our moods a little lower or our motivation a little lacking. As our vitamin D levels drop and we miss sunlight and warmth terribly, we’re here to remind you that there is plenty of warmth to be found if you know where to look!

It has been a stressful autumn for many of us, stemming from any combination of factors such as school, the weather, politics, health, and more. Sometimes, even the looming holidays can feel stressful rather than exciting. So, let’s talk about how we can flip the script, adjust our negative self-talk, and find silver linings!

Let’s take guidance from November’s main event - Thanksgiving. This holiday can mean a lot of different things for everyone, and whether you celebrate it or not, one thing is certain - the holiday is named for gratitude and giving thanks. So let’s underline that, and see how we can use gratitude to warm us up and push us forward.

Give thanks to yourself. We put this one first because, as the saying goes, “put your oxygen mask on first before helping others.” Explore, through introspective meditation or journaling, for example, what you would like to thank yourself for. What have you accomplished? What challenges have you handled well, or not allowed yourself to be hindered by? What have you done to help others? What things, no matter how small, do you do every day, every week, that you can be grateful to yourself for?

Give thanks to others. November, and the holiday season in general, is a great time to ponder who in our lives we feel grateful for. This is an excellent time to write thank you notes, give small gifts, do small acts of kindness, make and share art with others, make phone calls to loved ones we haven’t checked in with in a while, and make intentional plans to see those we care about and remind them that we care.

Give back to the community. The holiday season can be very inspiring for acts of kindness. This could mean working with children, animals, the elderly, or those in need. If you have time, money, or resources to donate, any small gesture can help in big ways.

Practice gratitude with your kids. Encourage kids to write thank you notes to teachers, helpers, and family, with personalized art work. Make it a fun, crafty experience. Don’t force it, lead by example! Plus, these will create a nice keepsake to look back on in the future.

Make some space for intentional practice of gratitude. This can look different for everyone. For example, you can journal your gratitude. Some examples of gratitude journaling can be found here.

Guided meditation is also an excellent practice. You can find some guided mediations here and here.

We wish you a holiday season full of much to be thankful for!

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