It’s Thanksgiving! A day dedicated to giving thanks. From better sleep to less stress to overall improved life satisfaction, studies abound on the power of gratitude. And the idea of counting your blessings isn’t new—the phrase first appeared in a sonnet by John Charles Earle in 1878. A couple decades later, Johnson Oatman Jr. advised counting your blessings to get through difficult times, and spiritual guidance to reflect on what you take for granted was the norm among Christian communities throughout the 19th century.
Today, ‘counting your blessings’ looks like swapping our screens for a gratitude journal before turning out the light each night. And while, in theory, it’s an innocent intention, in a culture where wellness has replaced religion, I fear it’s become just another form of self-improvement, one that falsely promises fulfillment.