The holidays carry a weight that most people never talk about. Thanksgiving arrives with its warm colors and familiar smells, but for many, it also brings loneliness, anxiety, or memories that stir up more heartache than joy. Brother, if this season feels heavy for you, you are not alone. And sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is choose a small act that shifts your focus long enough to breathe again.
One of the simplest and most grounding coping skills for the Thanksgiving season is something I call the Gratitude List. You may remember hearing about gratitude journaling in the past. But this one is simple, immediate, and surprisingly healing.
Here’s the practice: take five minutes and write down every single thing you are grateful for.
Not the deep stuff only. Not the big stuff only. Everything.
Write down the people who love you, the moments that made you smile, the food you enjoy, the breath in your lungs, the strength you still have, the lessons you learned, and the blessings God placed in your life that you might’ve forgotten in the noise of the week.
Set a timer.
Start writing.
Don’t overthink it.
Then—this is important—sit with your list.
Read it back.
Let it speak to you.
Gratitude doesn’t erase pain, but it interrupts it. It doesn’t pretend everything is perfect, but it keeps you from sinking so low that you can’t see the light that’s still present. When your mind is racing, gratitude places a steady hand on your shoulder and says, “Look again—God hasn’t left you. There is still goodness here.”
This practice is powerful during Thanksgiving because the season naturally pushes us toward reflection. But reflection without direction can quickly become rumination. That is why the Gratitude List becomes a spiritual anchor—it redirects the heart toward the blessings God has already placed in your path.
Some items on your list will be deep. Some will be simple. Some will make you smile. Some may bring tears. But with every line you write, you are reclaiming your focus and reminding your spirit that even in a difficult year, God has not stopped giving gifts.
When you feel overwhelmed this month…
When you’re missing people you love…
When the silence in the room feels heavier than it should…
Pause.
Grab a pen.
Start your list.
Five minutes.
One page.
A small act that can steady an entire day.
And as you look at what you’ve written, remember this truth:
Your life still carries blessings worth noticing, and God is still walking with you through every moment—both the joyful and the complicated.
Let this Thanksgiving season be shaped not by pressure or expectation, but by intentional gratitude. One small list at a time.