What’s the Difference Between Gratitude and Thanksgiving?

“When I’m worried and I can’t sleep; I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessings.”

After complaining to his physician about suffering from stress-induced insomnia, song-writer Irving Berlin was inspired to pen the above lyrics upon hearing the doctor’s pithy reply, “Did you ever try counting your blessings?”

With Thanksgiving Day around the corner, it is a natural time to start counting our own blessings. And, here’s some great news: feeling and expressing gratitude is a natural way you can feel better. Try it out. Start small and appreciate the little things with some of these affirmations:

I am grateful that my heart is beating and my lungs are breathing.

I am grateful for the warm sun on my face which brightens my day.

(Bonus: it stimulates your body to produce vitamin D as well!).

I feel deep gratitude for the abundance of health and happiness life offers me each day.

Inventor Frederick Keonig said, “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

Now move it up a few notches, to feel and express gratitude for the bigger things: your family, friends, home, job, etc., because feeling gratitude for what we already have also provides some amazing health benefits. According to Robert A. Emmons, PhD, professor of psychology at University of California-Davis, “Gratitude is good medicine.” He says, it can lower blood pressure, reduce insomnia, and decrease depression. WOW, all that from feeling grateful for what we have!

Feeling vs. Doing

Gratitude, however, is different from thanksgiving. Gratitude is a feeling, and giving thanks is an action. Saying a prayer of thanks is an action. So is writing a thank you note to a friend. Giving thanks is an act of celebration. And, there are many ways to give thanks. For example, you can feel grateful for good health, but you can give thanks for it by living a healthy lifestyle, eating healthy food, and exercising. Here at OHI, we love to show our guests how to do all of those.

The variety of ways for giving thanks is endless and only limited by your imagination. You can give thanks by volunteering for a cause or charity of your choice. You could perform a random act of kindness, like paying for the person in line behind you at a store. You could write a glowing review online for a business that you appreciate. Giving thanks can even be fun – you can do something to make your friends and family laugh – such as telling a joke like this one:

A woman picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store couldn’t find one big enough to feed her entire family for Thanksgiving, so she asked the man behind the meat counter, “Do these turkeys get any bigger?” The man responded, “No ma’am, they’re dead.”

Of course, here at OHI, we would show her how to prepare a healthy meal for Thanksgiving. And, another wonderful way to give thanks is to bring a friend to OHI, or make a donation to our scholarship program.

And, the benefits don’t just stop at good health and good feelings. You see, when someone does something nice for you; you want to reciprocate – most people feel the same way – it’s just human nature. Caring employers, who treat their staff with respect and show gratitude, find their employees become more productive.

A Solution to a Growing Problem

Today the world seems to get busier and busier, and getting out and doing things becomes more and more challenging. You can find solace and community in social media, but it’s a mixed bag. It can fun and informative, but it can also make you feel envious, depressed, and isolated. Add to that the onslaught of holiday advertising which can make you feel sad and lonely too. Taking a few moments whenever you are unhappy to express gratitude for what you have can break up those bad feelings, push them out of your mind, and make you feel better.

You can feel a lot of pressure at this time of year to do things you’d rather not. Eating foods that are not good for you. Spending time with people who don’t have your best interests at heart. Tonight Show host, Johnny Carson, once quipped, “Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often.”

This year come to OHI for Thanksgiving instead. Share your holidays with the love and support of your special community – with people who treat you well. Friends who understand your diet and won’t judge you for avoiding the traditional Thanksgiving fare. Here you’ll be able to relax, recharge, and rejuvenate, while you get away from the stress of the holidays. Give thanks at OHI this year, and find the peace and joy the holidays are meant to bring.