Give Thanks – during Thanksgiving
Alas, the leaves are changing, Autumn is brewing, and Thanksgiving has come and gone.
With everyone seeing their families (safely), there can be an array of emotions experienced by people, as they reflect on giving thanks and seeing family members.
Every family experiences different journeys, and it can be overwhelming to come face-to-face (even virtually!) with some underlying familial feelings, thoughts, and even tensions in some cases. With that being said, when you reflect on your thanksgiving experience this year…
How did you feel about seeing your family?
Were there any emotions that came up for you when you saw certain family members?
Are you at peace with your feelings towards your family?
It can be useful to self-reflect and break down some feelings you may have experienced this past weekend. Releasing some thoughts and emotions related to thanksgiving can lead to clarity and peace of mind as the new year approaches.
As the theme of thanksgiving is ‘giving thanks’ – what are you thankful for?
It can be helpful to think about things that you are thankful for. This can help provide a sense of self-understanding related to personal values, ideas, and beliefs.
What is something that I value?
What am I grateful for?
These questions can relay important information back to the self, as values and appreciation become integrated into thanksgiving.
The University of Edinburgh has a toolkit of self-reflective tools that can help provide insight into reflective feelings.
On their website they discuss implemented the four F’s, which can help identify key reflections:
The four F’s are:
Facts: An objective account of what happened
Feelings: The emotional reactions to the situation
Findings: The concrete learning that you can take away from the situation
Future: Structuring your learning such that you can use it in the future
We hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving!
Reference and Resource: https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/four-f
