In this Thanksgiving special, the focus is on enjoying the holiday with a balance of indulgence and a positive mindset. With a festive meal planned, including smoked turkey, ham, keto rolls, and pecan pie, the emphasis is on appreciating the good moments. A simple gratitude exercise is introduced, encouraging listeners to jot down 5-10 things they’re thankful for throughout the day to boost their outlook.

The importance of focusing on positive moments and reframing thoughts is highlighted as a way to make the day more fulfilling. Reflecting on the good, no matter how small, and taking note of it is encouraged. Additionally, there’s a suggestion to incorporate physical activity into the day, whether it’s a workout or a walk, along with a preview of upcoming content on choosing a health care team.

Highlights of the Podcast

00:03 – Introduction

01:00 – Thanksgiving Feast Highlights

02:29 – Future Content Overview

03:33 – Mindset and Positivity

04:44 – Gratitude Practice for Thanksgiving

06:29 – Building Positive Memories

08:22 – Today’s Focus: Gratitude and Positivity

09:18 – Incorporating Physical Activcity

09:55 – Closing Remarks

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:00:03] All right, so it’s Thanksgiving and I’ll run through this one real quick because this is part of where we’re at. So I have a show December 7th, which is like next week. And so two things on that one. What am I to say what I’m eating? But the other thing is that this is not what I would normally recommend for someone who is actually trying to compete and beat everybody else on stage. My goals in this are I want to look better than I did last show. That’s always going to be my goal because I’m going to compete with me and I’m there. So. Even though these are going to be in line with my dad, it’s just going to be extra fun. Not necessarily. What I would recommend from somebody who’s who’s literally a week out from jail anyway. So obviously, I’m going to do Turkey. I’ve got to wear smoking. I’m smoking a ham. So we’ll do that. Lou made some really good rolls and keto rolls. They’re fantastic. So we’re going to have that in the mobile makes that Kato pecan pie. So I’m super excited about that. And I’m sure we’re going to have a couple of other things where have jellies and all sorts of things. And then I’ve got these like chocolate fudge covered cookies.

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:01:18] So, yeah, it’ll be a will be a solid day with lots and lots of foods. And so yeah, I and I’ll, I’ll catalog kind of what I eat. I just and as an aside. So but we’ll go through like the show stuff later. That’s to be part of the goals B goals thing. We talk about kind of the day one of the C on the 16th of December as we kind of walk through the how to choose your health care provider. And I’ve got a bunch of my friends dentists, pediatricians, That’s the thing. We’re going to come on. We’re going to do we’ll talk about that a little bit in the morning and we’ll do will post a longer podcast today with those guys kind of going into detail on different things in like when you pick your pediatrician or, you know, just things you didn’t know about pediatrics. And then we’re going to get into some of the RFK stuff with our pediatrics and everything else. So if you guys are looking for that, that’s going to be a really, really good one because. That one’s that one’s going to be. It’s one of the things you guys hear now and you’re like, okay. And then in like the middle of January, when RFK starts throwing stuff down, it’s going to be really big. So it’ll be fun.

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:02:29] You guys get kind of a heads up on what’s going on. But anyway, so for Thanksgiving, one of the things that we do a lot of is this if we can come back. All right. One of things we do a lot of it with, you know, piece stuff and with the mental work and the psychology stuff is we do reframes. And so you can actually if you’re not a real big if you’re not a real positive person, you can actually change that. Like there’s ways where you can go in and you can change that. So you start spooling up the positive research, suppressing the negative because it’s both there, both, both the good and the bad are there. You just have to set your kind of your filters so that you see more good than bad. And then all of a sudden everything your outlook changes, you know, your mental state changes and there’s all sorts of anecdotal and actual research on it that the more positive you think, the more positive things happen. So because you’re focused on it, you’re moving that direction. If you talk to if you listen to pre Peterson or some of the psych psych people talking about it and they’re like, the reason that your life sucks is because that’s what you’re aiming at.

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:03:33] That’s what they’re talking about, like how you have your filter set, what you’re concentrated on, what you’re moving towards, and the things that you’re concentrate on, the things you’re thinking about, the things that you’re walking towards is also a definition of worship. And so, you know, that ties in a lot of the function of, you know, what you’re worshiping is, you know what you’re gonna get more of and what you worship is the way you follow. So that type of an idea is you can literally change that, change the way you think. But this is kind of one of the things we use. It’s called an open loop. And so it’s kind of part of gratitude. So when you do gratitude, it’s a little bit grander, a little bit different, but you’re for what you do for today because we’re specifically thinking about Thanksgiving or think about the things we’re thankful for. I want you to kind of the open Lopez at the end of the day, before you go to bed, you’re going to write down five things or ten things. Doesn’t really matter. Say five things that you’re actually grateful for. And so from today and so just start thinking, okay, I’ll jot them down as they come up, Right. And so, you know, you’ve got to have your five by the end of the day.

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:04:44] And so as something happens and you’re like, that was good, or all that made me happy or that was a really good thing about today, jotted down. It doesn’t have to be really big. It doesn’t have to be. It could be. The turkey was actually really good today, like great or the ham was really good today. Fantastic. Whatever it is, just jotted down and just know that you’ve got to come up with at least five by the end of the day and then at the end of the day kind of go through them and see if like which ones were best and see if you can think of any other ones. That’s all you’re going to do. And as long as you keep that up and look like I’m actually going to do this, I’m actually going to sit down and actually write down the things that were good about today. And then, I mean, at the end of the day, I’m going to go order them. I’m going to kind of go through and like, you know, which ones were the best of today and that type of thing. If you actually open that loop, that’s what you’re going to do. That’s what you’re looking for. You’re going to start noticing more things today that you would have been grateful for that you might not have given any attention to.

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:05:41] So, for instance, if the turkey was really good, you might be like, the turkey was really good and there’s gone on, but then you’re like, jerk, It was really good. That’s one of my things. I’m going to write that down. That changes that and actually like puts it in your memory more. And so when you think back on the day, you will think of these five things like, hey, what was, you know, what was Thanksgiving 24 like? And you’ll go, it was these good things that happened because now you’re looking for them, Now you’re now you’re trying to think of them that open loop, your subconsciousness. There’s a lot more in this. If you had never heard me talk about loops, your subconscious is constantly now looking for those good things. And so you will recognize that today was a much better day than normally. This is one of the things that you have to see because you’ll be like, All right, tell me ten good things that happened last.

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:06:29] Thanksgiving or about the Thanksgiving before that, and you might be able to come up with 2 or 3 if you really think about it. But this Thanksgiving, I bet you you’re going to come up with a lot more things you’re actually thankful for because you’ve decided you’re going to write them down at the end of the day and you’re actually looking for them and like take notes. Like I have a to do list in my phone. And what I’ll do is whenever something like that happens, I pull my phone out. I’ll just make a little note to myself like, Hey, here’s one of the things. Write it down on paper. Like whatever it is, send it to yourself in an email or a text. I don’t know how you guys leave notes for yourself. If you don’t leave notes for yourself, you need to really figure out a way to leave notes for yourself because it’s. Can’t imagine. Anyway, not leaving notes themselves. We write, but see yourself a note and be like, Hey, this is one of my things and theme of the day. I kind of add them all up. The thing is, if you’re like, Well, nothing would happen today. That’s not true. Something good happen, you know, something good. You just, you know, find the smallest good and build it up.

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:07:25] And just like I said, just doesn’t matter how big it is. Just jotted down the end of the day. If you’ve got 35 things, great, audit the 35 things, but notate them all. And if you start actually looking for them, you’re going to find a lot more. And so that’s kind of the whole idea of how we how you shift, you know, the way you’re doing things. But think about that for today. And just just like this is a today thing, like you don’t do it anymore. You’re not going to try to do this in your it’s Thanksgiving. So think of the things you’re thankful for and write them down as the day goes through. Hey, the roles rose like they were supposed to nice or they were actually really good. Or if you’re getting it catered or you’re going out and getting everything, be like, We got everything we were supposed to get, you know, whatever it is, you know, everybody came and Susan didn’t get drunk. The chair Like, whatever, whatever, whatever it is that you’re going to count as good jotted down, I’m going to go through it. And like I said, you can focus on the good or you can focus on the bad.

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:08:22] So on this one, just for today, no other days, just focus on the things that were good that happened that you’re thankful for. And I bet you through the day you’re going to recognize that this Thanksgiving, there’s a lot more things that you had a much better feeling for it. It was much better, you know, day than normal. And I’m not saying like it’s 1,000% better, but at the end usually be like, I was like a 10 or 20% better day, actually. Actually, you know, it’s not magical, but it does feel like it was a better day, happier day. That’s the idea. So take it. Take a small take a look at that. Jot these things down and see how that goes. But really kind of list the things you’re thinking for just for today. You don’t have to get into the you know, while the country is in this direction now. And I’m so happy about that. Just just today, if you want to add that, great. If that’s the thing you’re happy about, great. Maybe you all got together and had a conversation and it didn’t get the political conversation, didn’t get too dirty or nasty. There you go. That’s definitely one.

Dr Matt Chalmers [00:09:18] So think those things through, kind of jot those down and see where it goes. The only other thing I recommend is you try to find something physical to do today. I’m going to go workouts in here and the kids are going to work. I’ve worked out at length. The kids are going to work out later today and so we’ll get that knocked out. But try to find something for you guys that’s going to kind of get out and get you physical. You’ll walk around the neighborhood, do some of them, some. So that’s that’s kind of it. You guys have a fantastic Thanksgiving, and I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Remember, we’re doing the the How to Choose Your Health care team December 16th through the 31st. We’re going to do I’m going to do the same thing every morning, come in and chat, and then we’re going to add podcasts from different providers that I work with throughout. So I’ll let you guys know where that is. All right. You guys have a good time and. Have fun.

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Dr. Matt Chalmers

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. Before taking any action based on this information you should first consult with your physician or health care provider. This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions regarding a medical condition, your health, or wellness