Thanksgiving in January (And In February, In March, In April…)

When this article comes out, Thanksgiving will be long gone. But showing appreciation isn’t something that we should wait until the holidays. Instead, it’s important to incorporate a regular practice of giving thanks all year round.

How important? Well, long before Oprah urged us to keep a gratitude journal by our nightstand, psychologists have studied the positive impact that having a regular gratitude practice has on our well-being. In a nutshell, acknowledging people and things that you are grateful for fires up the brain to release two essential neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin. These are our “feel good” chemical triggers that enhance our moods and give that extra boost to our emotional states.

Moreover, researchers Martin Seligman, Tracy Steen, Nansook Park, and Christopher Peterson (2005) among others, observed the positive effects that gratitude also has on our physical health. Evidence shows that it improves our quality of sleep as well as reduces stress levels.

More recently, in 2017, psychologists Joshua Brown and Joel Wong added to the research by studying the impact of gratitude on those suffering from mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. Before this, much of the research was conducted on groups of people who were already well-functioning. Instead, Brown and Wong followed a group of 300 college-age participants who were seeking mental health counseling. They divided them into two sub-groups: one who wrote about negative experiences or only received counseling, and another who received counseling but also wrote about positive experiences. They found that the latter group reported significantly better mental health four weeks and 12 weeks after their writing exercise ended.

Adding a gratitude practice to counseling, and gratitude writing in particular, seemed to result in greater benefits than counseling alone, even when that gratitude practice is brief.  

Expressing appreciation helps to move oneself out of self-absorption and into “other” orientation, a shift that’s essential for healthy relationships.  Sending a “thank you” text or email to another person for a job well done or for making a difference in your life is a great start; but conveying your appreciation in-person or through a gratitude letter is even better.

While a gratitude visit or letter may seem corny or old-fashioned these days, they are extremely effective methods for boosting not only the recipient’s mood, but also your own. When social media and technology can feel disconnected, a visit or letter feels more personal and valuable because of the effort involved for both parties.

And instead of waiting for a special occasion, such as a birthday or holiday, try reaching out to your partner, a best friend, or family member out of the blue. Having the element of surprise and expressing your gratitude when not expected can further enhance the positive effects of the gesture.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Now there’s a compelling reason to practice it all year round!