Gratitude in Uncertain Times: A Thanksgiving Reflection for Recovery

As I prepare for Thanksgiving, I also carry a heavier awareness this year that feeling “grateful” right now might not be the most accessible feeling for many people.  
Our country is fragile due to deep political divisions, social strains, and untold individuals grappling with inequities and unrest. On top of this, sits the already fraught concept of “Thanksgiving” - one that sanitizes our American history of violent colonial conquest at the cost of untold Indigenous lives. 
In both circumstances, we are asked to imagine an old story – one that holds some lives as essentially more valuable than others. The vast majority of my clients sit at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities. From that position, the landscape of this holiday can feel layered with complexity. Gratitude doesn’t always come easily when the world around us seems to be caving in on itself. 
What then – is useful about Thanksgiving? The cultural attention on gratitude, the ritual of gathering (alone in our attention or with others) can be useful to us here. In this way, it is true that practices of gratitude in these moments matters a great deal.  
And perhaps the kind of gratitude we can practice shifts: from a forced “everything is great” to a grounded, humble acknowledgment of what still stands: our bodies, our breath, our connections, our choices. 
I'd like this blog to serve as a reminder - despite what’s happening in the world right now, there are glimmers of hope. In community, we find strength and respite. I want to take a moment to reflect and ask: how can we turn our attention to gratitude during this season? 
1. Acknowledging the full context 
You may be thinking: “How can I feel thankful when…?” the news is overwhelming, injustice persists, I feel unseen, old patterns of food and body talk still flicker. And you’re absolutely right: we don’t have to pretend everything is fine. Gratitude doesn’t require denial. In fact, denying the difficulties can often make healing harder. Instead, it’s about acknowledgement. Take a moment to reflect on the hard stuff and finding compassion for yourself in still being here, navigating it.  
As a dietitian working with people in recovery, I remind them: your progress matters within this bigger mess. You’ve still shown up, chosen nourishment, put your boundaries in, said no to things that don’t serve you and yes to recovery. And in a time when so many systems feel unstable, that is something to be really proud of. 
2. Community and belonging 
The holidays can often revolve around food, but they are about so much more than that, they are about belonging. For many of my clients, “belonging at the table” has more layers than one may initially think. Will I be seen or judged? Will old comments and old foods trigger me? Will my family of origin or chosen family value me as fully human?  
This Thanksgiving, I invite you to take a moment and notice who is at your table, physically or metaphorically. Maybe it’s a friend, partner, sibling, colleague, or supportive group who understand you. Gratitude here looks like: “Thank you for showing up for me … thank you for affirming me … thank you for recognizing all of me.” 
Or maybe its you, courageously choosing to sit with your truth. Perhaps one small act of belonging becomes your practice, such as creating a space at your table for your full self. Anchor your gratitude in yourself, for accepting who you uniquely are. 
3. Food, body, recovery 
In eating disorder recovery, Thanksgiving can be one of the trickiest days of the year. The food focus, the social expectations, and all sorts of diet-culture comments flying around. We often speak about strategies to stay recovery-focused during Thanksgiving, but today I want to shift the focus to your recovery gratitude and how far you’ve come:  

• For each bite I took even when fear whispered ‘no’. 
  

• For each time I asked for help rather than hiding my panic. 
  

• For each moment I re-grounded during body-shame talk instead of letting it sweep me up. 
  

• For each time I chose the complexity of myself over fitting in with old rules. 
  

In recovery, our gratitude often focuses on the big moments, but the small wins often make even more impact. And they’re worth giving thanks for.  
4. Gratitude as resistance, not avoidance 
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that gratitude currently feels like a luxury . But I believe that gratitude in this context becomes a powerful act of resistance. A refusal to allow hopelessness to swallow our senses and a commitment to notice what still works and matters to us. 
For my clients from marginalized groups, gratitude may also look like acknowledging the inherited resilience you carry, ancestors who survived and the community networks you have built on love and survival.  
Gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring injustice. Instead, it means acknowledge the reality of the injustice and recognising the choice we still have when it feels like so many choices are slipping away. 
5. A short practice you can try 
Here’s a quick practice you might use before, during or after your Thanksgiving gathering: 

• Find a quiet moment (5 minutes will do). 
  

• Close your eyes or lower your gaze. Breathe in a box motion – take 4 seconds to breathe in, hold for 4 seconds, take 4 seconds to breathe out, hold for 4 seconds.  
  

• Call to mind three things you are grateful for that aren’t about the food or body. For example: “I’m grateful for my laughter with my friends, for the way my feet carried me today, for the safe space I created in my mind when family talk got heavy.” 
  

There’s no perfect Thanksgiving or recovery moment, there’s only this moment. If you find yourself feeling uneasy this Thanksgiving, remember, you are not alone. The majority of us have messy feelings under the holiday lights and it's okay for them to sit alongside gratitude during this time.  
I hope you can find a moment of peace, connection and quiet during this holiday, and hold onto hope that things will be okay. 
Lastly, if you are in the position to do so, I encourage you to offer a donation to a local organization doing good work in your community. You may also consider donating to NDN Collective – an indigenous non-profit on the frontline of organizing across the US.