A Decade of Thankfulness November
This month I’m celebrating ten years of my Thankfulness November tradition! Since I was young, I’ve always practiced gratefulness during November. While Thanksgiving played a part in creating this tradition, it really grew as an antidote to stick season. I used to dread November. It was my least favorite month, the only highlight being Thanksgiving with the family.
My dad had beautiful traditions around the Thanksgiving season including gratitude walks and sharing what we’re grateful for at the Thanksgiving table. In adulthood I’ve carried that mindset with me and I do my best to practice gratitude all year long. Since starting my Gratefulness November practice, I have leaned into the coziness and slowness of the season.
With everything going on right now, not just in the United States, but around the world, it may feel like a privilege to feel grateful or feelings of joy surrounding the season. I want to remind you that the opposite is true. Gratitude is one of life’s greatest natural medicines. It helps us to refill our cups so that we can pour into others, but it also brings us joy, and you deserve to feel joy right now. Gratitude should be a part of your mindfulness practice. I know it is hard when there is so much suffering in the world, but our light can become a beacon for others.
In a world of shipwrecks, be a lighthouse.
In years past, I have shared ways that we can practice gratitude and give back to others. Volunteering, donating money or food to local food banks and spending less is usually how I celebrate the season and practice gratitude, especially this time of year. I encourage finding ways to give back to your community. Limiting spending or having a full spending ban is also a great way to participate in gratitude.
This year, with federal funding being withheld for SNAP benefits, I am making extra donations to local food banks. It is where I feel that I can make the most difference this year. When I visit the grocery store, I’ve been buying a few extra shelf-stable items each time that I can donate. It is a small thing that adds up. Giving back to our community is a great way to practice gratitude.
Lately, gratitude has been on my mind more often and I wanted to share a few of the ways I’ve been thinking of and practicing gratitude this season.
Cleaning your home is a great way to practice gratitude. Hear me out. When you take the time to care for what you already have, that is gratitude in action. It also puts your physical things into perspective.
Once the weather turns cold, I put away my summer clothing and pull out my warmer winter wear. This year I purchased a few under bed storage containers to organize my clothing. Getting organized and seeing all the clothing that I have piled high in one place really put things in perspective for me. I felt so much gratitude seeing the clothing that I own outside of my closet and storage spaces. Seeing what you have is the ultimate reminder of what you already have to be grateful for.
There was a time I did not have many clothes, especially clothing that fit. Most of my clothing in childhood were hand-me downs from my older cousins, my stepsister and even my friends. I was a very tiny child, and the clothing was always big. My older cousin Westen was also a boy, so I wore a lot of boys clothing. Still, I loved my clothes, and I was grateful for them.
But I also remember having thin ripped socks and three winters without a coat. My undergarments were often ratty and old. As I organized my sock drawer, I admired all the beautiful cozy socks that I now have. In childhood, I remember feeling cold all the time and my mom buying boots that were several sizes too big so that I would grow into them and have them for several years. Honestly, they were so big that I never actually grew into them.
Back then I didn’t realize how bad things were. I didn’t see the neglect. I felt guilty for needing things. Having nice clothes, winter layers, thick cozy socks and an abundance of sweaters is a true blessing that I will never take for granted. I think I do over-buy myself clothing now, especially warm clothing, to compensate for that feeling of not having what I needed. But seeing it all laid out before me on my bed gave me a feeling of overwhelming gratitude. It was a good reminder that I have enough.
I believe that sometimes I get so used to how things are now that I’m afraid I will forget to look around and see the good changes in my life. I worry that one day I might stop appreciating what I worked so hard for. It’s so easy to focus on life’s woes that sometimes gratitude can fall through the cracks.
It’s not just the clothes, every time I organize and put things away, I’m blown away with gratitude for the things I own. I’m thankful for our thrifted dishware and my abundance of books. When I organize our pantry or medicine cabinet I’m reminded of just how much I have. I might not have everything I want, but I do have everything I need. I still struggle with money or the bills once in a while, but my life is full of abundance.
Gratitude changes your brain.
For this month of gratitude, I want you to take a fresh look at the good things in your life. Feeling stressed for life’s struggles is valid. I’m not asking you to gaslight yourself out of hardship. This is not about toxic positivity here but about reinforcing gratitude. Because even when life is hard, there are good people in our lives and good things to feel appreciation for and recognizing that gives us the energy we need to keep going forward.
Gratitude alters your brain. When you practice gratitude regularly, you are releasing feel good chemicals into your brain like serotonin, oxytocin and dopamine. You reduce anxiety and improve your mood. Gratitude has also been shown to create changes in the brain that improve your resilience, cognitive function, memory and even your ability to problem solve. Gratitude is great for well-being.
I hope that you feel all the good things as we enter the holiday season. For many of us, the holidays might be more stressful than usual. Give yourself and others grace. Wishing you a beautiful month of gratitude.
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