With Thanksgiving just past the corner, I'm sure some of us all remember exactly what we said we were thankful for around the table. Family, friends, college acceptance- I think it's a pretty safe bet that we all took a moment to remember the things we're grateful for before digging into whatever kind of turkey and potatoes you had on the menu.
This really only happens once a year, though, we need a specific day to remember what we're thankful for, and oftentimes with some prompting. But what if we took time out of every day to remember what we're grateful for?
This article by Mary MacVean says there's long lasting evidence that, if we took a second to stop and allow ourselves to feel grateful for what we have, we'd greatly decrease our chances of depression and stress-related illnesses.
The article says that being grateful leads to acknowledging that humanity is, in essence, good, and that thought alone can lead to a reduction of stress. Gratefulness allows us to remember that we have people in our lives to help us out if we need it, and that we wouldn't be the person we are if we'd been completely alone, that other people help to shape us.
But is taking time our of our daily lives to be grateful too much of a stretch? While Thanksgiving is a specific day meant to be used to express our thanks, even it is being pushed under the rug in favor of consumeristic events, like Black Friday, and the rush to Christmas. Is it really feasible for us to use this idea of taking time out of our days to think of what we're thankful? Or are we always going to be too caught up in the here and now than to stop and think.
What do you think? Could you see yourself doing it, or is being grateful always going to be overshadowed by thoughts of the things we need or want, rather than what people have already helped us achieve? Even simpler than that- do you think it makes sense that being grateful could help relieve stress and ward off depression?
Thanksgiving is definitely a predetermined day where people become more grateful. Most children and teens say they are thankful for a certain object or toy, while the older and more mature teens and adults are grateful for family and friends. I do agree that since we are such great consumers that we base happiness on cell phones, cars and food. When we should be thankful for our family and friends. In everyday life we forget about them because they are so present and a norm in our society. Nowadays it seems that having an annoying little brother is not as amazing as getting accepted into college. Society should definitely take time out, maybe not everyday, but once in a while and just think about how happy we are with our dysfunctional families and crazy friends because they are constant, while cell phones and cars fade.
ReplyDeleteI think that being grateful for family and friends can hep put things in perspective and show the true value of love. This can help lower stress during this stressful time in the college process especially because your family and friends are your support system. And this type of support system cannot be found in stores.
I absolutely agree that gratefulness is directly related to happiness. A happy person is someone who recognizes and appreciates the good things in life, part of which is being grateful for them. I think taking the a little time everyday just to remember all the good things in life is actually very beneficial; it helps keep everything in perspective, reducing stress and keeping your mind focused on things other than the materialistic. Oprah once encouraged her viewers to do this as well, claiming their overall level of satisfaction with life would improve. Her suggestion was to write down 3 things they were thankful for each day, something that she had followed religiously for many years. Perhaps this has contributed to her success as a TV host.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think that gratuity is too important to be recognized only once a year; they say you don't know what you have till it's gone, but through a daily ritual of taking time to be grateful, what if you actually did? You'd definitely be much more appreciative of the opportunities you have been blessed with, overall increasing your satisfaction and happiness with life.
I definitely think that it makes sense that being grateful and reflecting on what you're grateful for can relieve stress and ward off depression to an extent because it helps you to focus on the positive aspects of your life. This also relates to what the new chapter that we are starting is stating about the effects of mood and memory- that the way we feel when we form memories and then later recall them in similar circumstances affects our moods in the present. If we focus on recalling the good memories of the day or just in general, then it positively affects our moods. As such, I believe that it is possible to take time out of each day to think of what we're thankful for and not let it be overshadowed by materialistic attitudes that come from the society we live in, but I also think that this comes with practice. I can certainly see myself trying to do this at least occasionally when I try to meditate or write in my journal.
ReplyDeleteI do think that being grateful can help relieve stress and ward off depression. If you take time out of your day to remember the good things in your life, you will be a much happier person. If you are faced with difficult times, like getting rejected from a college, remembering what you are grateful for in life can make you feel better. I agree that many people are too concerned with material things and what they want instead of remembering what they have. I think it is possible for people to take time out of their lives to reflect on what they already have in their life that makes them happy. I know that whenever I have a bad day or go through a difficult experience, I try to remember how lucky I am to have the life that I have, and it makes me feel better.
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ReplyDeleteI agree that being thankful can help one to be happier and relieve stress and depression. I'm lucky enough to have a supportive family that always reminds me to be thankful for what I have whenever I'm upset about something. I realize that without reminders such as Thanksgiving or being told by your family or friends, reminding yourself to be thankful can be difficult during a hard time or bad mood. If I'm having a hard time with something, reminding myself of what I already have truly can make me look at things more positively, and I think that goes for everyone. As long as people have the ability to take a step back and remember what they are thankful for, I definitely think this is a good method of becoming happier and less stressed. Though it is difficult, I could definitely see this working for me and I'll try to remember what I'm thankful for more often.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that Thanksgiving should not be the only day that people reflect on what they have and what they are grateful for. People should take time out of their day to be aware of what they have because it will cause less stress. This will cause less stress because it allows you to realize that things could be worst. Life is very short and we should not take the people we love for granted. Although we should not do that,
ReplyDeletebeing grateful is always going to be overshadowed by thoughts of the things we need or want. As college process is here, it is very hard for students to not be upset about not getting into their top school or getting deffered. For those who do not get into their top choice it is hard for them to be happy for their friends and classmates. I think it is always good to focus on the positive and be grateful that your friends are getting into their schools and have faith that you will get into yours as well.
I definitely understand the relationship between living a life of graditude and living a life of happiness. Like Dean used to say, "life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." In the news recently, there has been nothing but horrifying and heartbreaking news. All over social media, people have been saying things like "this is the world we live in" or "there are some evil people out there". When we have an attitude like that, the world seems like a dim and frightening place to live.
ReplyDeleteWhat we fail to see is the "good" in the situation. For every drunk driver who causes an accident, there are ten cops, firemen, and EMTs who arrive at the scene to clean up the damage. For every damaged home from Hurricane Sandy, there are thousands of Americans willing to donate to relief efforts. For every one sick shooter in Newtown CT, there are nine adults willing to throw themselves in front of a bullet to save a child. Yes, we live in a world where there is potential for some serious messed up stuff to occur, but we also live in a world of naturally good-hearted and nobel people. It's all in how we look at it.
There is a little good in everything, it's finding it that is the difficult part. But if we learn to do that more often and be greatful for what we have, not what we lost, our happiness will be able to improve.
I think we should take time out of our daily lives to be grateful and appreciate all the things we have in our life. Whenever I take the time to step back and think about all the positive things about my life rather than the negative, I end up feeling pretty good about myself and my life. I try to do this whenever I feel upset or stressed, and I usually end up feeling a lot more relieved and positive afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of the time we get caught up with the hustle and bustle of our lives and forget to be grateful for everything we have. However, I think if everyone made a conscious effort to allot some time out everyday to think about all the things they should be thankful for, people would be much happier and stress and depression would diminish.