Giving Thanks in 2020
According to the Harvard Medical School, giving thanks can make you healthier as well as happier. They make this conclusion from a multitude of studies, including one conducted by a pair of psychologists who have teamed up to focus on the benefits of gratitude.
In one of their best-known studies, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, asked participants to write a few sentences each week on particular subjects.
- One group was asked to write about things occurring throughout the week they were grateful for.
- Another group was asked to write about unpleasant experiences that had occurred throughout the week.
Those who kept what became known as their gratitude journal reported better physical health and made fewer trips to the doctor.
Other studies indicate that spending a few moments thinking about what you’re grateful for helped people with clinical sleep problems fall asleep more quickly, sleep longer, have better sleep quality, and stay awake more easily during the day. Yet another study found that women keeping a journal about previously unappreciated people and things for two weeks ended up with lower blood pressure levels.
And while Thanksgiving is usually associated with family gatherings, isn’t it ultimately a holiday to celebrate gratitude? Maybe this year, we should just focus a bit more on the giving of thanks. It’ll make for much more to talk about during the Thanksgiving feast next year.
What we’re thankful for
We’ve been around as a company for more than 40 years – long enough to create our own traditions. This year, we’ve watched and helped many of our longtime customers find new ways to navigate through a world mostly idled by the pandemic.
We’ve been astounded by the pivots in thinking that have created greatly needed products and services. We’ve watched incredible transformations ranging from microbreweries pivoting to produce hand sanitizers, to automobile assembly plants pivoting to build ventilators.
We even did a pivot ourselves – repositioning resources to create face shields. Meanwhile, our protective products found wider usage as organizations searched for ways to help everyone stay healthier.
COVID-19 has definitely caused dramatic problems and disruptions – noticeably in global logistics and the availability of overseas manufactured products. It has also shown us that we have the ability to source domestically without sacrificing quality or even paying more. This is something we are particularly grateful for because we have always produced our products right here in our USA location.
Thanksgiving might look different…
But it doesn’t have to feel that way. The advent of video platforms like Zoom and others mean you might be sharing your Thanksgiving meal with a computer monitor on the table next to the turkey so that friends and family can join you virtually.
And speaking of the main course, the turkey industry is preparing to deliver a greater number of smaller birds – and more parts such as just the breast – to help with those smaller gatherings. Weather permitting, many of us also will move our Thanksgiving meal outdoors.
Things are going to be different this year, but we hope you’ll remember what the Grinch taught us about Christmas. It’s more about what we think and believe than what we do. And we’re learning that the regular practice of giving thanks – gratitude – can make us healthier as well as happier.
Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at Vinyl Art. We are grateful for you.
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Contact the Vinyl Art Team at 800-569-1304 or sales@vinylart.wpengine.com
