A gratitude book is proven to have a positive impact on our lives. It brings us a wealth of positive emotions. By practicing gratitude, Generation Panic’ers can learn to appreciate the small things in life, feel happier and be calmer. As we learn to discover the positives in the everyday moments, we can reduce our anxiety.
Thanksgiving and the other 364 days
Gratitude is ‘the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness’. Do you acknowledge the goodness in your life? I think it is easy to forget to be thankful, at least on a daily basis. Apart from Thanksgiving Day, what about all of the other 364 days in the year? Because gratitude is known to have a positive impact on our mental health, it is a very good idea to learn to make it a daily habit – and the Gratitude Book can help you with exactly that.
Be clear about where you are going
It is important to check in with ourselves – to reflect on how we are feeling, what we have accomplished and where we are going. A journal can help with just that. For Generation Panic’ers, by writing down our thoughts and reflections, we can begin to understand our anxiety and how we are coping with it. By noticing what is going on, we can learn to take back control and see life more positively. Perhaps this process will even reveal coping strategies for our anxiety that we did not know we had.
One way of doing it is to start writing a ‘Gratitude Book’. Or you can call it morning pages, journaling or something similar. I am inspired by Tim Ferriss, an American entrepreneur, author, and podcaster. Every morning he writes what he calls “The 5-minute Journal”. It contains 4 or 5 bullet points that he is grateful for. Writing down things he appreciates, helps him to view his life through a positive lens.
I also take a couple of minutes every morning to write down my inner thoughts. Again in the evening, I write for a couple of minutes. If the morning journal sets the focus and your intentions for the day, then the evening journaling helps to reflect on how it went, to deepen your learning and also see where you can make improvements. In the evening, you can also set up for the next day. Through this daily process of journaling, I have found clarity and focus: I accept where I am and I know where I am going. It is a very short and easy exercise, only requiring a couple of minutes, so there is really no excuse not to do this!
But also accept as is
Try out this everyday exercise – both in the morning when you are clear in your mind, and again last thing at night. Remember to be honest, noting down exactly how you are feeling, however your thoughts come to you, without any filter. This book is for you, and only you, so you can be vulnerable and show your inner fears or doubts too. That is what it is for.
| Toolbox: Morning and Evening (List three things under each heading): Morning I am (how you are feeling in that moment): Achieve (what you want to get out of the day): Grateful for (what you are genuinely grateful for): Evening Achieved/Proud (what you have accomplished that day): Improvement (do not judge, get curious as to what you could do better in a future situation): Tomorrow (what you want to achieve tomorrow): |
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