Giving Thanks in All Things

It has been a tough year. I suspect that very few folks would argue with that statement. The U.S. and world economy has taken a beating and are still trying to get up off the floor. More importantly businesses and employees, current and former, have been through the wringer as they try to adjust to changes.

We could all use a break and viola, here comes Thanksgiving our national holiday where we celebrate and share our blessings. But the sense or feeling of thankfulness, gratitude or appreciation should not be limited to one day of the year. We should make a conscious choice to focus on our current blessings on a regular basis.

Research shows that almost every aspect of our physical, mental, and emotional health are improved when we participate in regular and deliberate thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation. Some of the therapeutic benefits of thankfulness include better sleep, increased positive emotions, more exercise, more rapid achievement of personal goals, and assisting and helping others more often. In fact, a recent study has shown that even in the worst recession since the Great Depression, people are helping others and the result is greater well-being for those who volunteer versus those who don’t.

Gratitude is an attitude. Exercising thankfulness causes an improvement in our feelings, a lifting of our spirit, and a stronger connection with those people and things for which we are grateful. And just like physical exercise, attitude adjustment can require effort at the start but becomes easier to maintain when we regularly participate in the activity. Similarly, if you do not use it , it is easy to loose that spirit of appreciation.

Even though many of us may experience challenges to a spirit of thankfulness this year, let’s all make an extra effort to count our blessings, express our feelings to those that matter to us, and continue to exercise this state of mind long past Thanksgiving day.

Here are some great Thanksgiving Tweets:

• Top 10 Tips to Eat Right on Thanksgiving http://bit.ly/7ZrSeB
• Answer 6 easy questions, and this interactive tool will choose the perfect recipes for your Thanksgiving meal. http://bit.ly/8lKLc3
• Your Health: Giving thanks can make you healthier, happier http://bit.ly/4XzxQq
• Eating a traditional Thanksgiving dinner makes consumers less likely to buy on impulse the day after. http://bit.ly/2H9PZQ
• 6 tips for a delicious and healthy Thanksgiving meal. http://bit.ly/2w2Vx
• Health checkup: The healing power of thankfulness http://bit.ly/7Wz4lJ

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