A few days ago, I came home feeling a bit grumpy and generally disgruntled. I succumbed to some self indulgent grumbling. Believe me, I have no reason to be grumpy or grumbly, and the following morning I awoke feeling a bit ashamed of myself. I spent the next few hours giving my self a good talking to, before my thoughts turned to thinking about all the many things I have to be thankful for.
It’s so easy to moan, it should be just as easy to be grateful. I had heard a little bit about ‘gratitude journals’ and the benefits of keeping one. According to an article in the Huffington Post, the practice of writing down what we are grateful or thankful for at the end of the day is thought to lower stress levels, help you feel calmer at night and perhaps more importantly give a new perspective of what is important to you and what you truly appreciate in your life. Sounds good.
Like all journals, gratitude journals can be exactly what you want them to be. Its important to think about what will work best for you, and be most practical and beneficial. For many years I have kept a journal which I scribble in at the end of most days. It’s a random collection of thoughts, feelings and a comment on what I’ve done that day. Because of that I don’t want to keep another lengthy journal which would be repetitive or time consuming. If I’m going to do this and get the best from it, it needs to be simple, efficient and of course pretty to look at!
So, I have decided that over the course of the next 4 weeks, at the end of each day I shall note down in bullet point form 3 things I am grateful for and want to give thanks for. I’ve chosen my note book, and of course coloured pens, washi tape and stickers will be involved.
I’m a few days in now and so far so good. I look forward to updating you on how I get on a few weeks from now…….
If you’d like to know more about keeping a gratitude journal you might want to look at a couple of interesting articles here and here.
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