November is commonly associated with Gratitude in the Northern Hemisphere. Not just since North America invented Thanksgiving but actually going back thousands of years. The days are getting much shorter, the harvest is hopefully brought in and safely stored by this point and there are seemingly endless winter months ahead.
Like so many ancient practices, there are actually some powerful psychological benefits linked with the practice of listing what we are grateful for and sharing that with each other.
I could talk about what those benefits are for a long, long time but in order to stay relatively short and to the point I’ll quote from a recent publication by the Harvard Medical School:
Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals - whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships
Sounds good, right?
So let’s come together and share our gratitude with each other. Send us a video, an audio or write us a few lines on what - and who - you are grateful for.
You can talk about what your are grateful for in the bigger picture (like a spouse, kids, being born in a certain part of the world), what you’re grateful for this year specifically, even what you’re grateful for just today, whatever comes to your mind.