The Power of “Thank You”
Happy Thanksgiving! During this holiday we celebrate the bounty of the harvest, the beauty of Mother Earth before she transitions to sleep, and all of the folks that have gotten us to the end of yet another year with their love, friendship and support. For all of this and more we give our thanks.
We all know that the holidays can be stressful, but we hope that you’ll remember to take a time-out when you feel overwhelmed to say, “thank you”, to someone or for something. This simple act has been proven to relieve stress, and a whole lot more!
Scientists say that gratitude is one of the most healing and beneficial emotions we have. When we make a point of being grateful each and every day amazing things can happen. Such as:
- Improved emotional well-being and optimism
- Increased self-esteem and heightened energy levels
- Strengthened heart, immune system, and decreased blood pressure
- Decreased stress, anxiety, depression, and headaches
- Heightened spirituality — ability to see something bigger than ourselves
Some even say that when you exercise daily gratitude you will start to attract increased positivity because you’re training your brain to become more away of the good things in your life.
To get you started, and practice what we preach, here is a list of 5 things we can be grateful for.
- Food – Yes, cooking a feast to feed an army isn’t the easiest task on earth, but imagine if didn’t have the ability to do it. This year say “thank you” to everything that has made it possible for us to nourish our bodies.
- Your Parents – Even the ones that drive you bonkers. If it weren’t for them you wouldn’t be alive, and if you weren’t alive you’d be missing out on stuffing, and that would be a tragedy. “Thank you mom and dad.”
- Having a Home – No matter what type of dwelling you inhabit, it’s more than what so many on Earth have, and for that a big “thank you” is due.
- Clean Water – We turn on the tap and clean water comes out, what a blessing! This life-giving element is something to be grateful for; the planet couldn’t survive without it.
- Living in America – Even with all our bellyaching about our country lately for many people, living in America is something worth risking their lives for. The freedoms and the quality of life most of us enjoy here is a dream for some people, and for that we should be thankful.
We know we said 5, but we also want to say “Thank you!” to all of you. Without your support of Etkie, we would not be able to share our mission and beauty with the world! Or, in Navajo, “Ahéhee'”.
For more about the power of gratitude, check out this great article: http://bit.ly/2gs7iib