What are you thankful for this month?

A healthy practice we often advocate at Tala Thrive is a regular practice of gratitude - whether it’s keeping a daily journal, writing things you’re grateful for, or taking quality time off for proper self- and mental health care. Regardless of religion, the virtue of giving thanks for provision and abundance is one act that connects us across cultures. 

The month of November is often associated with harvest festivals celebrated by several countries around the world and most notably Thanksgiving, a holiday in the United States. Historically, religious prayers of thanks and harvest thanksgiving ceremonies are often held after crop harvests and the Thanksgiving Holiday celebrated in the United States traces its roots back to England. And the modern-day celebration in the US dates back to the emigration of the Pilgrims and Puritans who emigrated from England in the early 1600s. 

While the duality of the holiday remains controversial because of its historic disenfranchisement of Native Americans when the Pilgrims arrived, the heart of gratitude still remains and families across the world have chosen to celebrate it as a time of the year to slow down, take stock in blessings and provisions, and spend time with loved ones.

It reminds us to ask this question of ourselves: What are you thankful for?

However, the holiday can also bring with it the mental health burdens of isolation and exclusion. For those within our community who may not have the warm embrace of loved ones to fall into, who may feel isolated, or who may even feel locked in a perpetual state of gratitude to a loved one and thus, can’t enforce their personal boundaries, we see you.

For example, in cultures where hierarchies are strong based on age, sometimes children are locked in a space of remaining thankful to their parents and elders, regardless of how they are treated by those in authority.

This can, over time, take a toll on our mental health, build weak personal boundaries in relationships, and become a source of generational trauma because we can’t speak out or share our true feelings. This is also why slapstick comedies and dramas about families reuniting over turkey and pumpkin pie around the Thanksgiving table abound within film & TV. 

So, as we recognise Thanksgiving, we also take this moment to recognise the duality and mental health stress that comes with it. 

And at Tala Thrive, we support you by matching and connecting you with culturally competent therapists and coaches who understand your culture, language and/or religion. Professionals who fully understand the conflicting emotions you might be feeling during this time of the year, and above all, who will acknowledge those emotions too.

So be sure to sign up at Tala Thrive to join our community and get the support you need as you prepare to meet family around the table!

Remember, we want you to thrive - mentally, physically, and emotionally - so you can start living the life you truly deserve. 

By Lola Akinmade