Thanksgiving signals the start of the winter holiday season. While the holiday season is often considered a festive time of year, it can also be a time of great stress, sadness, anxiety or depression. For many of us, the reality of Thanksgiving is that it can lead to family tension and conflict, or awaken painful memories or feelings of loss. The financial and emotional burden of hosting guests or meeting family obligations can be overwhelming, and some people may experience feelings of anxiety in anticipation of challenging conversations with relatives.

Practicing gratitude is one skill that may help us cope with the many challenges of the holiday season. In their work with students and teachers throughout the year, Acknowledge Alliance’s therapists and resilience consultants often emphasize the many health and well-being benefits of recognizing and expressing the things we are grateful for. Research has shown that gratitude is consistently linked to greater happiness, and has even been shown to help people be more patient, improve their relationships and sleep better.

As part of our Project Resilience social emotional learning lessons for elementary and middle school students, our resilience consultants share that:

“When we think about what we are grateful for, our brains become better able to notice the good things around us and within us. This means that by practicing gratitude, we can rewire our brains to focus on our character strengths, to notice our feelings, to choose healthy coping skills, and to connect with friends and family. There’s no one right way to practice gratitude! No matter how you do it, noticing and naming what you’re thankful for is a lifelong resilience skill.”

Start cultivating gratitude today by trying one of these activities that our team uses with students in Project Resilience:

Start a Gratitude Journal: Write 3 things every day you are thankful for. Can you also name a bonus thing you are grateful for about yourself? This is a great self-compassion exercise.
Share your kind thoughts and gratitude with others by writing, drawing, or sending a message: Write a compliment or thank-you note for someone in your home, share a message of gratitude with a friend over a phone call or text, or draw a picture of something that makes you feel happy and display it for others to see.