A gratitude journal is the best thing to add to your wellness routine!
That being said, are you operating from a scarcity or abundance mindset?
If you’re coming from a place of scarcity, these thoughts might sound all too familiar:
- “Am I being serious? There’s too much competition!
- I never have enough time no matter what I do
- Why does nothing ever work out for me?
- Some people just have good luck!
- I have no choice!
The scarcity mindset can leave us feeling hopeless because no matter what we do, we can never seem to “get it right”.
This was my reality navigating my career in the creative arts industry. You can use others’ creativity to inspire you or you can use it to beat yourself up. That’s why the story I told myself was coming from a state of lack and my actions show cased that. I was battling the scarcity mindset without even realizing it!
What changed?
“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”
Tony Robbins
Spending just a few minutes each day writing in my gratitude journal ( even when I didn’t feel it, or struggled to come up with something) I slowly began to shift my mindset from a state of lack to one of abundance.
In fact, one Harvard study found that when people focus intently on one particular thing, other possibilities right in front of them go completely unnoticed!
Of course, there are days that are harder than others but coming from a place of gratitude allowed me the confidence I needed to allow my creative pursuits to blossom and become excited about the challenges and growth ahead.
Designing your own gratitude journal will allow you too:
- Take advantage of any opportunities that arise for positive growth
- Feel confident and secure in your dreams
- Creativity and inspiration boost
- Natural stress reliever
- Healthy ways of thinking
- Celebrate other people’s wins without attacking your accomplishments
- Easily go with the flow of life without being weighed down by expectations
- Full responsibility for your life
SO, WHAT’S INSIDE AN GRATITUDE JOURNAL?
A gratitude journal can be filled with lots of different creative activities to celebrate all the amazing things we manifested into our lives!
Below are a few examples of things to include, but ultimately the creative license is your hands! And the best part? It’s completely free and you can easily achieve a lot in 5 minutes if you’re stuck on time.
The Classic
Great for : Short on time, Beginners, Mindfulness, Appreciation, Positivity boost
For this gratitude journal activity you’re going to record at least 5 things that you were grateful for that day. It doesn’t have to be anything big! Perhaps it was a relaxing shower or a cup of coffee in the morning. In fact, the simpler the better because it helps to recognize the luxury of the small things we tend to overlook on a day to day basis.
Fear Buster
Great for: Self Discovery, Challenging scarcity mindset beliefs that are holding you back
Don’t confuse a gratitude journal with “toxic positivity”! In this activity you’re going to allow yourself to feel uncomfortable by listing all your fears and problems in your life.
After giving your fears a voice, write down the opposite of them! For example : What if I am always going to get rejected from big job offers with but what if I didn’t?
This simply shows us that there are more possibilities in our lives than just that one thought we’re telling ourselves.
Give back letters!
Great for : Celebrating other people’s kindness / wins, Blocks Jealousy, Empathy & Humility builder
Have you ever scrolled through social media and thought why couldn’t you achieve as much as they have? This activity is for you!
Think about people who inspire you, successful people in your field, family / friends, strangers who made your day and write them a letter of thanks for what they’ve done for you, big or small.
You don’t have to send these out! But this activity is designed to allow you to see that these people are gifts the universe has sent you for inspiration, and just because someone else has something doesn’t mean there’s nothing left for you.
WHAT IS ALL THIS GRATITUDE HYPE?
“If you look at what you have in life, you will always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you will never have enough.”
Oprah Winfrey
The importance of making time for gratitude is more than just a quick fix for being positive. Studies have shown that it actually produces a higher volume of gray matter in our “right inferior temporary cyprus” ( where we find our moral judgments like gratefulness). In fact, I love how Emily Fletcher, founder of Ziva, sums it up as the world’s “natural antidepressant.”
The study also found that when we practice gratitude our brain releases those feel good chemicals we all love- AKA dopamine and serotonin ( the two most vital neurotransmitters that control our emotions!)
By utilizing our gratitude journals every day you are strengthening these important pathways thus creating a positive energy within ourselves, without having to actively try!
PROMPT IDEAS
- What’s something that you’re grateful to have today that you didn’t have a year ago?
- What’s something about your body or health that you’re grateful for?
- What’s something or someone that makes you feel safe?
- What artist, author, or musician are you grateful for?
- What do you like about your job?
- How can you appreciate your five senses more by being mind
- Look around the room and write about everything you see that you’re grateful for.
- What mistake or failure are you grateful for?
- What skill(s) do you have that you’re grateful for?
- What food did you eat today? Take a moment to share gratitude for the food and water that sustains you and imagine where it came from.
Related : 6 Fall Self Care Activities To Prepare You For Winter Wellbeing
Until next time,