With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we are reminded to be thankful for what we have. But this year, I invite you to consider another perspective: What if what you have is already enough?

We live in a world of constant, fast-moving abundance. We have instant access to entertainment, same-day delivery, and immediate and endless content to scroll through. Many of us are just one call away from connecting with a loved one. Whether through hard work, fortunate privilege, or a mixture of both, we have so much to be thankful for this holiday season because we have it all… and we have it now. But in a world that constantly offers us more, when do we allow ourselves to say, “This is enough”?

Constant stimulation can leave little room for stillness. Constant connection to the outside world can make our inner world feel lonely. Never-ending content can leave us always wanting more. Frequent exposure to the highlight reels of another’s life can cause comparison and feelings of inadequacy. At the end of the day, if you turned off that podcast you were listening to, stopped scrolling, and deleted your online shopping apps, what would be left? How comfortable would you be with what was left?

Sometimes we are so surrounded by noise, information, possessions, and messages about who we should become that it becomes difficult to notice what is already here… You. And you are enough!

Gratitude is more than simply being grateful for what we have: It’s about being present in the here and now, and noticing that perhaps what we have (and who we are) has always been enough. The concept of gratitude is trending, at least ironically, in my Instagram feed. Jay Shetty reminds us, “When you’re present in gratitude, you can’t be anywhere else.” In many cultures, silence is sacred. Solitude has value. And disconnecting from everything so that we can connect with ourselves is not a luxury, but a necessity.

There is also something powerful about having the ability to accumulate more and yet still choosing to recognize when enough is enough. There is reward in realizing that we do not always need to gain something more to be whole.

Because isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?

This holiday season, I invite you to consider a different perspective. In addition to being thankful for what we hold in abundance, may we also practice being grateful for what we already have. The body that carried you through another year. The obligation you said “no” to because you finally put yourself first. The notifications you silenced because you remembered that the world could wait. The purchase you realized you didn’t actually need. The influencer you unfollowed because comparison was making you question your own worth. The stillness and silence that remind us that we do not always have to be consuming, achieving, improving, or becoming. Sometimes, simply being is enough.

And if this holiday season feels heavy for you for whatever reason, I invite you to be thankful for that, too. Because gratitude does not require everything in our lives to be good. Allow yourself to sit in that discomfort, be still in that space, and if you can, try searching for how you can shine some light on an area of darkness in your life. For example, “I am grateful for what this experience may teach me.”

Lastly, self-care means being able to recognize when the noise, expectations, or emotions get too loud and too heavy. Sometimes recognizing that we are enough also means recognizing that we were never meant to carry everything alone.

Practicing gratitude can become easier when we have support from loved ones or mental health professionals. It’s okay to ask for help.

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what we have. This year, perhaps we can also be thankful for the moment we stop searching for the next thing and recognize what has been in front of us all along. You are enough. And that is something worth being grateful for.

About the Author: 

As a purpose-driven optimist, Abby Rallo pairs her experience as an educator with her duty to serve as a registered nurse to provide hope to humans. She is a firm believer that ‘giving makes you richer’ and even on her worst day, she aims to spread joy and kindness to others.

Learn more about how Abby combines her values with innovative, evidence-based therapeutic programming at vialindabehavioral.com