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Giving Thanks and why it is important
Giving Thanks and why it is important
By Madison Heth
By Madison Heth
November holds an important date that the majority of Americans celebrate yearly. Thanksgiving is a time to, as the name suggests, give thanks, but is giving thanks really that important? Does it really benefit us as individuals and as a society?
A quick history on thanksgiving
A quick history on thanksgiving
The tradition of Thanksgiving began in 17th-century America. According to the History Channel, in Sept. 1620, a ship called the Mayflower carrying 102 passengers, seeking religious freedom and prosperity, set sail in hopes of finding a home in the “New World”. The ship landed farther north than intended but, a month later, crossed Massachusetts Bay where the passengers were able to begin making their own colony. These passengers are known as the Pilgrims and, in the creation of their new colony, they built a village called Plymouth. After a hard year of losing half of the ship's original passengers, Plymouth’s corn crop turned out to be successful and the Governor, William Bradford, invited a group of the village’s Native American allies to join in on a celebratory feast. This feast with the Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims working side-by-side is where the holiday Thanksgiving was born.
Thanksgiving is a time when Americans gather together with family to talk, feast and celebrate, with thankfulness at the heart of the holiday. However, being thankful is not something that should only happen once a year. With good reason, it should instead be a daily exercise.
What is the importance of giving thanks?
What is the importance of giving thanks?
Thankfulness and gratitude walk hand in hand. Thankfulness is the feeling and gratitude is the expression. Both are important qualities a person should have, carry, and utilize on a daily basis, and I will prove why.
Spreading thanks and gratitude can benefit human health mentally, emotionally, and socially. The Mayo Clinic explains, “Expressing gratitude is associated with a host of mental and physical benefits. Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood and immunity. Gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease.” It is no joke when gratitude and thankfulness can physically and mentally benefit a person, but just imagine what it can do for a person’s emotional health and relationship with others.
When we give thanks, we are opening our hearts to others, and giving thanks is incredibly important in maintaining and growing relationships. Picture this: You are working really hard on a project for someone. You are not getting paid, but simply doing it out of kindness. You go to present the project to the person, and you receive no thanks? No “good job”, no “this means a lot to me”, no “thank you!” It would hurt, would it not? Study Finds conducted surveys on 2,000 Americans with this in mind: "Is expressing gratitude the key to happiness?" Gratitude leads to higher satisfaction in life. As shown in a survey, “a third of respondents say they regularly make sure to express gratitude in their everyday lives. Of those, 62 percent note they feel 'very satisfied' with their lives.” When someone says thank you, and gives true appreciation it boosts a person's mood and betters their day immensely. Motivosity’s vice president, Logan Mallory, analyzed the survey’s results and noted that, “When people are proactive about being grateful, it rewires their brain to look for positives instead of the negatives around them.” This is important to note and take in because, after experiencing thankfulness and showing gratitude, you can understand the truth behind it.
What can we learn?
What can we learn?
Thanksgiving is an important time to truly be grateful for what and who surrounds you, to give thanks for what you have, and to show gratitude to those you appreciate. However, do not forget that the expression of these is not simply limited to the 24 hours Thanksgiving holds, but that these are feelings we should express day to day to build relationships with others and improve ourselves as humans. When we begin utilizing gratitude and thankfulness on a daily basis, there is no limit to the happiness we can create in our communities-- whether it may be at school, a job, an extracurricular or in our own households. I encourage you to think about where you feel thankfulness and gratitude in your own life. What are ways you can encourage others through these feelings? What are ways you can improve yourself? And, how can you better society as a whole?
Happy Thanksgiving, Scrollians.
Image Credit: PickPik
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