What strange times we are living in right now. We are in the midst of a global health crisis the likes of which most of us never have seen before. A pandemic that requires us to practice social distancing, keeping us away from our most treasured family and friends as we begin to celebrate the holiday season. It may seem as though there is little for which to be thankful.

With American Thanksgiving just days away and much of the United States seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, it may be difficult to think about all the things for which we can practice gratitude. We may be feeling an increase in anxiety and depression because of the pandemic. We may be feeling evermore isolated and lonely after months of social distancing. We may be feeling restless after months of working from home, or not working at all. How can we even begin to think about practicing gratitude in the midst of all of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic?

For starters, we can be thankful for the opportunity to keep ourselves and our friends and family members safe by continuing to practice safety protocols such as wearing masks and social distancing. We can be thankful for the technology that affords us the opportunity to reach out to family and friends via video chats, text messages and phone calls. Consider for a moment how different our lives would be during this pandemic if those technologies did not exist.

Yes, we are living in challenging and uncertain times. Yes, many of us are finding ourselves weary and tired of isolating, tired of keeping our distance, tired of not being with our most treasured family and friends. Yet if we continue to practice gratitude for the fact that our people remain just a phone call, text or video chat away, perhaps we can weather this storm with a little grace. If we continue to practice gratitude for the opportunity to reach out to friends we might not otherwise have had a chance to communicate with, perhaps we can forge stronger connections and expand our social networks as a result of this pandemic.

It may seem as though there is little to be thankful for right now. If we continue to practice gratitude for those on the front lines of this pandemic, the hospital workers, the police and firefighters, other essential workers, perhaps we can manage to get through this together.

The holidays are upon us and this time of year always reminds me to practice gratitude for my loved ones. While many of us may not be able to be with our loved ones physically this year because of the pandemic, we can be thankful for the opportunity to reach out in creative ways to keep our connections strong. Yes, being physically separated from our loved ones is difficult but perhaps we can be thankful for the opportunity to keep them safe by practicing social distancing.

It can be difficult to practice gratitude during times like this, for sure. But if we remember that gratitude is the birthplace of joy perhaps we can navigate this holiday season with grace. If we afford ourselves the opportunity to look at this pandemic as a chance to slow down and think about who and what is important to us, perhaps we can come out the other side of this stronger than before. If we look at this pandemic as a chance to really look at our lives and practice gratitude for that which truly is important to us perhaps we will triumph over the virus after all.