What do turkeys remind us of? Thanksgiving, of course.
What is the purpose of Thanksgiving? Being thankful/grateful for all our blessings.
And what has Duke University been studying for the last few years? Being grateful and its effects on our well-being. Really?
Yes, really. Normally we picture scientists studying the life cycle of mosquitoes and then, by pouring chemicals into various beakers, they search for a cure for malaria caused by said mosquitoes. We don’t picture them studying those spiritual and emotional aspects of life like gratefulness and happiness. But, nowadays they do.
They have been studying emotional exhaustion (similar to burnout). It is a state of feeling emotionally worn out and drained as a result of accumulated stress. It results in not being able to properly feel positive emotions. Duke specifically studied healthcare workers, but their results can be applied to everyone.
Those who scored high on “burnout” had more depression, negative emotions, errors, fights, anxiety, and dissatisfaction with their jobs and lives. Duke found that one of the most powerful ways to combat burnout was to become more thankful. Yes, being thankful. They found a way to measure people’s happiness and well-being before and after doing various tasks.
Duke found these benefits of being thankful.
- Better relationships with other people.
- Less stress.
- Improved physical health and longer life.
- Less materialism.
- More happiness and other positive emotions.
- Increased ability to sleep.
- Increased self-control.
That’s enough science for now. What does the Bible say about thanksgiving?
- “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” Psalm 95:2 (Oh look, joy follows thanksgiving. That’s what the Bible says, AND it is what scientists found.)
- “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4
- “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8
- “That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, And tell of all Your wondrous works.” Psalm 26:7
- ”I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30
- “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God. It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name, for the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100
The Bible is pretty adamant that we should all be thankful.
You know the story in Luke 17 about the ten lepers. Because of their disease, they had to be socially distant, like we do when we are sick with Covid. But for them, it lasted the rest of their lives, not just the one to two weeks that we need to do. Jesus healed all ten lepers. Nine of them went home. Only ONE came back and said thanks.
Jesus commended the one man and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith (and thankfulness) has made you well.”
In the Old Testament, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles which was similar to our Thanksgiving holiday. Its purpose was to thank God for the harvest. They spent seven days praising God and singing songs.
Do you want to have a better life? Be that thankful ONE!
Remember this old song?🎵
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? 🎵
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? 🎵
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, 🎵
And you will be singing as the days go by. 🎵
Count your blessings. Name them one by one. 🎵
Count your many blessings. See what God has done.” 🎵
Song by Johnson Oatman Jr.
By the end of that song, I always felt much happier and thankful for all God had done.
The song “Count Your Blessings” doesn’t specify how many blessings to count. Duke University studied the question and found that if a person wrote down just three good things a day for one week, their increase in happiness was equivalent to taking an antidepressant pill! Wow! That’s a lot of benefits from a task that takes just a few minutes each day. They found that if a person wrote three good things a day for 15 days, their happiness increased even more and the increase lasted up to six months.
Burnout Buster/Happiness Booster #1: Three Good Things
Each evening, write three good things that happened during the day. Then, if you did something that caused the good thing, write that down also. (For example, I went out to lunch with a friend and had a wonderful chat. I quit procrastinating and made the call to set it up.)
For maximum benefit, do this for at least 15 days. If you are like me and easily forget stuff like this, set an alarm on your phone to remind you.
Burnout Buster/Happiness Booster #2: Gratitude Letter
Some people in Duke’s study did a test to measure their happiness. Then they were told to close their eyes and think of a good person that influenced their life for the better. After that, they wrote a letter to the person. And then they called that person and read the letter to them.
When they were retested, those who wrote these things had increased their happiness, but those who wrote and called the person, their happiness increased even more. Interestingly, the most unhappy person in the beginning, increased their happiness the most by doing this. For more info on this, go to https://bit.ly/gratvideo
So here is what you can do. Take five minutes to write a letter to someone expressing something positive they did, how it affected you, and the benefits you received. Write what they did for you and what that says about them. Be genuine, kind, and appreciative. Then call that person and read it to them. This Happiness Booster is a 2-for-1. You AND the other person both are happier afterward.
Burnout Buster/Happiness Booster #3: Pray, Sing, Read Your Bible
Duke University did not study these boosters, but if they did, they would have found they work. Indeed, they have worked for thousands of years.
Pray: When you pray and thank God for all his wonderful blessings, you will find your mood lift and your spirit soar. Worried? Tell Jesus. He cares for you. Got troubles? Jesus said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” When you trust God with your future, you can worry less and relax more.
Sing: Music makes a deep connection in the part of the brain that controls our emotions and moods. Singing happy songs uplifts those emotions, whether it’s your favorite songs from today or your childhood. If you would rather listen than sing, you can access a multitude of wonderful songs on the internet with a click of a button.
Read Your Bible: Feeling miserable? Read the Psalms. This is what David wrote to do about it. “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the health of my countenance and my God.” (Psalm 43:5) Or read his promises. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:11
Feeling hopeless? Read what God says about your future. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
One last thought
Christianity is based on faith and obedience. It involves matters of the heart and soul, and God doesn’t change. Science is based on experimentation and figuring things out. It involves matters of the mind, and it changes constantly. These are often at odds with each other. It’s nice when, at times, they intersect and agree.
Dig Deeper
Duke has more tools to help with burnout. They are interesting and easy to use. If you want to join their program, here is the link: https://hsq.dukehealth.org/tools/ If you want some deep information on this subject, let me know. I read seven journal articles on the subject while writing this post.
Here are some links to other blog posts on this site that deal with similar subjects
https://soundmindtalk.com/healthy-thoughts/life-is-about-learning-to-dance-in-the-rain/
https://soundmindtalk.com/healthy-thoughts/teflon-brain-or-velcro-brain/
https://soundmindtalk.com/depression/depression-psalm-42/
https://soundmindtalk.com/depression/the-connection-between-connections-and-happiness/
https://soundmindtalk.com/healthy-body/the-science-of-giving/
