Set your tables, ready the turkey, and gather around – it’s officially Thanksgiving!
For many people, the holiday season comes with complicated emotions. This is especially true now. With heated conversation topics and differing perspectives, spending time with other family members may seem difficult. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving is notorious for bringing out some of those feelings in negative ways.
This year, talk to your family and come up with a Thanksgiving intention.
- Do you still have an elderly family member around?
- Has there been a new addition to the family?
- Is there something exciting happening with one of your children?
Set that intention and try to encourage other family members to follow.
It’s okay to have different opinions. Everyone has experienced separate lives, resulting in different perspectives. Even so, try your best to come together for a common purpose: a happy Thanksgiving.
It’s essential to listen to other family members and empathize with their points of view. With how much everyone has gone through with the global pandemic, be thankful for the presence of everyone at the table.
In a tumultuous world such as ours, how can you create a positive, thankful intention? Here are some tips to help your family have a rejuvenating and happy Thanksgiving!
Listen
Instead of reacting the moment a family brings up a differing point of view, listen to what they have to say. Please pay attention to their delights and have in-depth conversations about little things you remember.
From there, try your best to redirect the conversation to something that will interest both parties. Bring something up from last year to show that you care and listen.
Support
Thanksgiving can be challenging for some family members. If this is one of the first Thanksgivings after a significant death in the family, their presence may be missed. At the same time, we’re still going through a global pandemic.
Collective grief has resulted in many mental health obstacles, meaning some of your family members may carry that with them. Instead of shutting down conversations surrounding loss and sadness, please encourage them to happen. When we support people going through difficult times, we express our love.
Express Gratitude
According to Harvard’s medical school, gratitude is psychologically associated with increased happiness. It helps people experience positive emotions, develop stronger relationships, and relive happy memories.
To help promote an intention of gratitude this Thanksgiving, encourage your entire family to engage in the following activities:
- Write thank-you notes
- Talk about what you’re thankful for
- Pray and or meditate
- Thank someone verbally
One way of showing gratitude is by sharing with others what we’ve been richly blessed with. The best way to create an impact is to invest your time and energy into serving the community for the greater good. Get ideas on how to be remembered as a positive force.
