|
"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." - Buddha  Happy Sunday y'all Today’s post is about the benefits of having a gratitude journal. Now I know what ya’ll are thinking: A gratitude journal...really? Geneva you’re basically asking me to keep a diary. Yes I really am asking you to do this. And no it’s not a diary. I count that differently. It’s something that has helped me through a lot, keeps my vibrations up, and keeps me grounded as a person. Therefore I really wanted to talk about the benefits of having a gratitude journal.  1. Focus This is honest and real. I can actually focus on what I want and, more importantly, who I want to be for the day. I am also finding that it helps other people focus too. When you say the things you’re grateful for, it spreads and love and joy to others as well. Furthermore allows people to be present and cultivate their self-love. I can’t tell you how many people I follow on social media who tell me the amount of focus they have. 2. More Optimism I don’t feel “tied down” anymore. I can breathe and function as a human being. A Harvard study had one group write things they were grateful for, another group write about what annoyed them, and the last wrote about events that had affected them. The first group came out with positive attitudes. They even started exercising more. Thus there is an emphasis on a person’s well-being, which is becoming more and more vital in today’s day in age.  3. Counts Your Blessings Yes this is important. This realization was a big game changer for me. I also had to be reminded of it. I can get caught up in life’s issues that I forget what’s really. Now whenever I’m in a negative situation I think about the things I’m grateful for. I remind myself that I’m grateful to be alive and in this moment. I even start my meditations with gratitude. A Berkley study had mentally ill participants write a thank you letter to a different person each week. After four weeks the participants felt better and more energized. They even found that the participant’s brain chemistry differed from the other two groups in how they expressed their gratitude. The medial prefrontal cortex had a greater activation. This means that gratitude becomes a part of a person overtime. Moral? Count your blessings. 4. Let Go I’ve talked about this quite a bit. It seems to be a theme for me this year: to let go of things and beliefs that weren’t helping me. To focus on my actual issues. Honestly though I didn’t really realize this until a few days ago. That I’d let go from having a gratitude journal. As I keep doing this gratitude journal I’m finding myself letting go of old emotions and memories that don’t define me anymore. Now this isn’t to say that I’m “cured” from jealousy and envy. I just know how to handle it better.  5. Inner Peace What’s there more to say? I have a greater sense of who I am and I have a feeling that’s how most you all feel as well. I know that all negative experiences will pass and that everything is going to be okay. I am no longer afraid of feeling like I have to “fit in” and more in tune with my intuition. With all this being said, start a gratitude journal. Please. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It can be bullet points if you want. The point is that you’re cultivating who you are as a person. Because, well, you’re awesome and important. Let me repeat that: you are awesome and important. It also adds to your meditation which is always a plus. I hope ya’ll have a great day. Namaste.
0 Comments
|
RSS Feed
