What Are You Thankful for This Year?

When anyone thinks of Thanksgiving, often the first thought that comes to mind is eating delicious home-cooked food. However, there's more to this holiday than just gathering together with family or friends and chowing down. Instead, Thanksgiving is a time of reflection from the previous year, as well as recognizing the aspects of your life you have to be grateful for.

When diving into self-reflection, it can be challenging to discern what to be thankful for in your own life. This is especially true if you have not worked on self-reflection methods in the past. However, working on being intentional with your thoughts can help you find what to be thankful for.

Tips on self-reflection this Thanksgiving:

• Journal your thoughts. Often, writing down what we are feeling can help us categorize how we feel. Seeing everything laid out before you can help you really see the value in certain areas of your life. Just journal your thoughts freely as they come to you and don't pressure yourself to write.
• Nothing is too small. What you are grateful for in your own life might look different from what others are grateful for and it is important to understand that that is okay. No aspect of your life is ever too small to be insignificant.

What Should I Be Thankful for in 2022?

Take some time this holiday season to write down a list of what you are thankful for. If you are struggling to find what to be grateful for, these ideas might help you recognize areas of your own life.

Good Friends

Friendships are one of the most powerful tools for support in our lives. Friends can provide many positive things to our lives, including shoulders to cry on and just a listening ear. Friendships can blossom quickly or may have been built up over years. Recognize your friends during this time and potentially show your appreciation if you are able to. This could just be in the form of a spoken thank you. Think about the times that your friends have helped you in certain situations, your shared experiences, and any adversity you faced together. Reflecting on your friendships and being grateful for them can allow you to be a better friend, as you understand how valuable the relationship is.

Good Company

Do you have a furry friend? If so, you probably already know that a pet, especially a dog or cat, can be tremendously helpful for our mental and overall health. When we feed our pets properly, they give us ample opportunity to increase our exercise, especially if Fido loves his outdoor walks. Not only that, but playing with pets can lower our blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. If that wasn’t enough, pets help us to manage our loneliness and depression by providing companionship. So if you are a pet lover or owner or if you are a foster parent for a furry friend, lean down now to give them a quick scratch behind the ear or belly rub. The chances are that your relationship is one you can both be thankful for.

Good Health

Prior to the pandemic, it might have been easy for many to take their good health for granted. After experiencing a world-wide pandemic, you might be more aware that your good health is definitely something to express gratitude for. Even if you do have a health condition or are experiencing a disease, reflect on how you have taken steps to improve upon or manage your condition. Be proud of yourself for taking the steps necessary and available to you to make your health a priority. If you have access to healthcare services, quality providers, and even insurance plans, that is still something to be thankful for, as it is not something that is available to everyone.

Spotloan: A Smarter Way to Borrow

It's time to reflect and be thankful for what has brought us through this year. No aspect of your life is too small to be excluded from your appreciation. Even if you are not exactly where you want to be in any category of your life, you can always take steps to improve and grow.

However, we know that the holidays can also be stressful for many, especially those with financial concerns. Poor financial situations can wreak havoc on a person's physical and emotional well-being. Debt and poor finances can feel isolating. If you are finding dealing with your finances to be challenging, starting a budgeting plan can help you make steps in the right direction. This can allow you to determine how to tackle any debt you might have. 

This said, as you continue to work on improving your financial situation. Spotloan believes that you should have access to the money you need, when you need it. The application to see if you apply for our customized lending solutions can be done online and only takes a matter of minutes. Fill out the application today to see if you qualify!