Let’s face it our current environment is a little depressing. I don’t know about you, but it makes me so sad to see so many people that I know expressing such hatred towards other people over beliefs that are different from theirs. I’m not sure when our culture turned and made it acceptable to be mean to other people using a computer keyboard. It’s a lot easier to say mean and hurtful things when you don’t have to be face to face with someone. But believe it or not, there are still things in our lives no matter what we are going through that we can be grateful for. Today I am going to talk about how a little gratitude goes a long way.
I was a skeptic about keeping a gratitude journal and even more so about writing down affirmations daily. I even tried to spread a little positivity on social media with “Sundays are for gratitude” posts. People can be harsh; these posts were met with criticism. I received a comment from someone telling me that not everyone has something to be grateful for like I do.
If we woke up this morning, we have something to be grateful for, it’s all about perspective. We never know what another person is facing in life, they may put up a brave front to others but are struggling inside. Be nice with your keyboard friends. Like my mom always told me, if you don’t have anything nice to say just don’t say anything at all.
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Does Gratitude Help to Make You Happier?
Our minds are a very powerful thing. Negative thoughts go in, and negative thoughts come out. The same is true for positive thoughts. Positive thoughts go in, and positive thoughts go out. I have been keeping a gratitude journal for about one year now. I was very resistant to it; I didn’t believe in it. But some friends talked me into it, and I am so happy that I started it.
I start my day off with it in the morning. I write down 3 things that I am grateful for daily. They can be anything. No one is going to see your journal. It is okay if they are “things”. There is nothing wrong with being grateful for being blessed with a new home or new job. But you can also be grateful for the sunny day, people in your life, or your health. What has God blessed you with? There are no wrong answers!
Daily Affirmations
If I thought a daily gratitude journal was difficult the daily affirmation was even more difficult for me. I felt like I was giving myself praise. Let’s be honest, we are sometimes our worst critics! An affirmation is basically encouraging yourself. Some people do not receive positive words of encouragement from any outside sources as sad as that sounds. Remember me telling you earlier that our mind is a powerful thing? It honestly believes what you tell it to believe. It’s been proven! Have you ever heard of the placebo effect? This is literally your mind believing what you tell it to believe. It’s truly fascinating!
I have incorporated one affirmation daily every morning after I write down the 3 things that I am grateful for. Like I said before, this has been very difficult for me to do. I find it hard to say nice things to myself, it does get easier the more you do it. This also should be for your eyes only.
Since I had a difficult time with this, I am going to give you a few examples of what some people might use as an affirmation.
- What I love about myself is the ability to _____.
- I am at peace with the person that I am.
- I trust that I am on the right path.
- I am loved.
- I will show myself grace.
Special Reach Out
This is something that I think is very important to do when possible. It makes me feel so happy when I get a random card or a text message from someone and they tell me that they are thinking of me. I’ll keep all the cards that I receive in a decorative photo box. I know that some people aren’t “card” people, but I am! I take the time to pick out just the right one for people, so I assume they do the same for me.
So please try it! Reach out to someone today and let me know how it goes!
Drink Your Water
You are probably thinking, why is she putting this in here? What does drinking your water have to do with gratitude? Staying hydrated and getting your daily water actually helps your mood and will help to keep you happy. You know, a better mindset! If you start to get dehydrated or even get low blood sugar you can get cranky, lightheaded, have headaches, or even sleepy. So, stay hydrated!
I touched on how much water you should drink daily in my blog post, 10 Tips To Help You Survive Summer In The South. You can read that here.
Have you ever done a gratitude journal before? Maybe you are a skeptic like I am. Honestly, it really does help with your mindset. And let’s be honest in our current world that we live in we need all the help that we can get! I have a daily gratitude journal sheet that you can download for free. It includes a place for 3 things that you are grateful for daily, 1 daily affirmation, 1 special reach out for the day, and a water intake tracker. Oh and it’s pretty! Lol! Just click below to get your free download and it will be emailed to you. Please share this blog post with anyone that you think could benefit.
I started to do this years ago, but I all of a sudden stopped. I think I need to start this back up again as I struggle to see the good things on many days and get lost in my troubles. I’m also so very hard on myself.
You should definitely try to start it back up! It is surprising how much such a small thing can be so helpful. Doing it first thing in the morning helps to start your day off. Let me know how it goes!