Before we begin today’s episode, I want to say this: if you clicked on an episode about gratitude but you aren’t feeling grateful… you are still welcome here. This space is for you, exactly as you are.

Welcome back to The Journaling Room Podcast. I’m Kendall Snyder, your host, your fellow journaler, and someone who has lived through seasons where gratitude did not come naturally — not even a little bit.

Today’s episode is for the woman who feels numb. For the woman who feels a little bitter. For the woman who feels weighed down. Maybe even guilty for not being “more grateful.”

Maybe life is technically “good,” but your heart hasn’t caught up with that truth. The holidays are approaching, and you want to feel excited — but you don’t. Something in you just feels… flat.

If that’s you, hear this clearly: there is nothing wrong with you. You are not “less spiritual.” You are not failing at gratitude. You are not broken.

You are human. And God is tender with humans.

So today, we’re talking about how to find gratitude when it doesn’t come naturally — and how journaling can create a safe place to be honest, to breathe, and slowly take steps toward softening again.

1. What makes gratitude feel hard for me in this season?
2. What small, ordinary thing can I notice and write about today?

3. If I let one piece of gratitude soften me, how might that change my day?

You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.com

FB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoaching

Podcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategies

Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

Today we’re talking about something that shows up quietly every November — the pressure at the Thanksgiving table.

Whether you’re a mom juggling everyone’s food preferences and emotions… a college student heading home trying to navigate family dynamics… or an empty nester wondering what to do when the table feels a little too quiet — this episode is for you.

Because no matter your stage of life, there’s one thing we all tend to bring to the table that isn’t on the menu — pressure.

Pressure to make it perfect. Pressure to keep everyone happy. Pressure to be grateful even when things feel complicated.

And today, we’re going to journal through that.

So as you head into Thanksgiving, journal through these three prompts:

1. What unspoken rules or expectations am I trying to live up to this Thanksgiving?
2. If I could release one pressure, what would it be?

3. What three emotions or experiences do I want to “serve at the table” this year?

You can reach Kendall here: Kendall@kendallsnydercoaching.com

FB/IG: @KendallSnyderCoaching

Podcast Art: @ShieldsMediaStrategies

Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay

We’re surrounded by cultural images of the “perfect” holiday table — smiling families, gratitude flowing, laughter in every corner. And sometimes it does look like that. But often, it doesn’t.

Maybe there’s an empty chair. Maybe there’s a rift that hasn’t healed. Maybe you’re walking into tension that’s been simmering for years. Or maybe you just don’t feel joy this season because grief, exhaustion, or disappointment are louder than gratitude.

Here’s the truth: we can’t always fix it. We can’t bring people back, force others to change, or erase years of brokenness in a single meal. But we can write our way toward peace — peace with what is, even when what is feels far from perfect.

Step One: Name What Is Radical honesty is the first step toward acceptance. Instead of minimizing, notice and write what’s actually true.

👉 Prompts:

• “What feels unfixable right now is…”
• “The grief I’m carrying into this holiday is…”
• “The tension I feel around my family is…”
• “If I stopped minimizing, I’d admit…”

Naming reality doesn’t make you weaker. It makes you more resilient, because you stop fighting shadows and deal with what’s real.

Step Two: Release the Illusion of Control In CBT, we call this differentiating controllables from uncontrollables. Much of our suffering comes from overestimating what’s in our control and underestimating our ability to choose our response.

👉 Prompts:

• “What I wish I could change about this situation is…”
• “The expectation I keep holding onto is…”
• “What I’ve tried to fix but can’t is…”
• “The part I need to release is…”

Carmichael again reminds us:

“He said, ‘I will accept the death of dear desire, Imprisoned higher, No longer mine to claim. I lay it down. And in its silent place, There burns a steadier flame, A light of peace.’”

Step Three: Choose Peace in the Middle of It Acceptance is not resignation. It’s active. It’s saying, “I don’t control everything, but I do control how I think, how I show up, and what I anchor in.”

👉 Prompts:

• “Even though this is hard, the way I want to show up is…”
• “The anchor truth I choose to hold is…”
• “My intention for this holiday is…”

Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay