How Thanksgiving Can Help You Overcome Heartache

By Kim Olver. Posted on Nov 20th 2012.

Don't wallow in grief! Thanksgiving can help you heal.

Thanksgiving in the United States is the official holiday to celebrate the bounty that we all experience. It has its roots in the feasts the pilgrims enjoyed with Native Americans when first settling this country. Today, people celebrate Thanksgiving with traditional food and family coming together to enjoy each other's company. It is a time for giving thanks for the many things we have and enjoy in our lives.

If you have suffered a tragedy this year—a loss of employment, loss of your home, a divorce or even a death—you may not feel as if there is much to celebrate or to give thanks for this holiday season. However, I respectfully disagree! This is exactly the time to give thanks.

More from YourTango: Forgiveness

If you are not yet ready to give up the feelings of sadness, unhappiness, anger, despair and self-pity, stop reading. This article has nothing for you. It may not be time for you yet. However, understand that you are, in fact, choosing this and could choose to do it differently when you are ready. On the other hand, if now is the time for you to do something different, then keep reading. (If you would like to take advantage of a free coaching session with me, then contact me at The Relationship Center to arrange a convenient time.)

One thing I know for sure is that those emotions that drain us—jealousy, fear, sadness, despair, anger, self-pity—cannot exist in the space of gratitude. Gratitude crowds out all negativity.

More from YourTango: 10 Relationship Lessons From Dr. William Glasser

Someone once asked me what I thought would happen if all of a sudden, everything we forget to be grateful for were taken away. That is a mind-boggling question. I imagined not being able to see, breathe, hear or walk; having no home, car, or computer; and having all the people I take for granted in my life ... gone, just gone! What a powerful question. Continue reading ...

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Kim Olver

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Kim Olver, LCPC, has been featured in Whole Living, Women's World, Fitness Magazine and Counseling Today and is the best-selling, award winning author of Secrets of Happy Couples: Loving Yourself, Your Partner, and Your Life.

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Location: Country Club Hills (Chicago), IL

Credentials: LCPC, MS, NCC

Specialties: Communication Problems, Couples/Marital Issues, Empowering Women

Website: http://www.therelationshipcenter.biz

Forgiveness

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Today is my mentor's 88th birthday and I want to take this occasion to publically record the lessons I've learned from him in my life. Dr. William Glasser is the creator of Choice Theory and Reality Therapy. The most important thing for health and happiness is positive, strong relationships in one's life. When I want to argue about being ... Read more

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