Starting a Gratitude Journal and Why

Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot

Stress, work and family responsibilities, and routine can trap us in a pattern of negative thinking that feeds on itself and creates more stress and unhappiness. This cycle can lead to other ailments, as well, including constant fatigue and even depression. Finding ways to focus on the positive can help reprogram your thoughts and break this cycle. When we are so focused on our illnesses OR our illnesses take up our days-we forget ALL we do have around us. Here is why a gratitude jurnal is important....

1. Lower stress levels.

2. Feel calm at night.

3. Gain a new perspective of what is important to you and what you truly appreciate in your life.

4. By noting what you are grateful for, you will gain clarity on what you want to have more of in your life, and what you can cut from you life.

5. Helps you focus on what really matters.

6. Keeping a gratitude journal helps you learn more about yourself and become more self-aware.

7. Your gratitude journal is a safe zone for your eyes only, so you can write anything you feel without judgment.

8. On days when you feel blue, read back through your gratitude journal to readjust your attitude and remember that you have great people and things in your life.

Here are some easy step by step ways to be productive in journaling.......

1. Dont just go through motions. Make a decision to be consciously more grateful

Dont reluctantly journal because you think you should. Feel what you write. Believe it.

2. Dont set yourself a minimum number of things to write per day

This is a toughie. In my experience, there are days I have less, and thats perfectly okay. On balance, there are days I can fill a page. Dont put yourself under pressure to stick to the same amount each day. Be flexible and dont take the joy away by being too regimented.

3. Dont wait for the right time

I try to integrate this into my bedtime routine, but if I have a joyful experience, I often write it down straight away. This reinforces the positivity felt and ensures I dont forget anything.

4. Elaborating on why you are grateful allows you to really explore your feelings

If, like me, you intend on flicking back through your journal, make it clear why you are grateful for the items you add. For example: For the first entry, I put my children. On day two, I wrote, my children for putting on a sock puppet show after school and making me laugh. That triggers so many memories each time I read it and always makes me smile.

5. Focus on people rather than things

As much as I love my iPod, it can never give me the same warm, fuzzy, loved feeling my kids give me at their actions on loving me.

6. Dont rush; savor every word

Dont see this as another chore to get through. The fact that you can make a list of things that make you feel grateful should make you feel, umm, well, grateful!

7. Include surprises

Unexpected events often elicit a greater emotional response. Theyre also wonderful to look back on when you feel that life is mundane and the same old routine all the time.

8. Keep the negative out

If you want to keep a diary to record how you feel, this can be constructive, but leave your gratitude journal as a purely positive only exercise.

9. Mix it up. Dont put same thing every day

Expand your awareness. The more you do this, the more youll start to really appreciate what a gift life is. The world is beautiful. Learn to really experience it.

10. Be creative

Who says a gratitude journal has to be full of lists? Mine contains everything from concert tickets to photos and restaurant receipts. Have some fun with it.

11. Give it a fair chance

It takes, on average, twenty-one days for a new habit to form. Dont give up or dismiss it as not working before then. Commit to just three weeks and then see how you feel. What have you got to lose?

This will help you learn to focus on the positive in even the most dire situations.Though it may seem difficult and unnatural at first, keeping a gratitude journal and learning to focus on the positive in every situation will help you cultivate a greater sense of happiness and optimism about your life. Most of all HAVE FUN WITH IT

@fluffyunicorns84