Thanksgiving: Gratitude (or Grace)

Thanksgiving: Gratitude (or Grace) Practices of gratitude are mentioned often in the world of mental health, and for good reason. Intentionally identifying something you’re thankful for can encourage both slowing down in the midst of our frantically busy days, and it shift in attention helpful ways. Rather than invalidating the struggles in life, gratitude practices can widen our vision to see beyond the immediacy of difficult relationships, emotions or circumstances. Noticing something you’re grateful for, and staying with that feeling for a few moments until you can feel it a little more in your body, is also a way to focus your attention, which can give some distance momentarily from parts of ourselves and our lives that we may need some space from in order to address them more thoroughly.

At this time of year, as we approach Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, there might be moments where gratitude is encouraged either as a group practice or on your own. It might feel natural to feel grateful for a delicious meal, a walk under the gorgeous fall leaves, or for moments of reconnection with loved ones.

This time of year may also trigger painful emotions, however. The focused attention on family can surface grief connected to losses, anger and sadness related to challenging familial relationships, or a reminder of feelings of loneliness at a lack of connection. Even the heightened focus on feasting can remind some of economic challenges that make it feel hard to celebrate. Gratitude practices don’t discount present suffering, but invite a noticing of any small thing that feels good or right in your world, even if it’s the cool air on your face, a cup of coffee or a connection with a pet. But if it feels too hard or forced to try for gratitude this weekend, perhaps see what it’s like to offer grace instead to the parts inside that are struggling. Grace, or gentleness, says, it’s okay to be feeling what you’re feeling, let’s just be with that. Let’s be kind to whatever is there. Tune into what’s hard and know you’re not alone, and that many people feel dissonance on holiday weekend. If it feels possible, offer some curious, kind, grounded presence to those parts of yourself.

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