PERSONAL CHANGE RESOURCES
JOURNALING & GRATITUDE
Journaling and Gratitude
Journaling is a way to focus one’s attention. And the quality of our attention makes a huge difference in our capacity to navigating the inevitable ups and downs of our days, weeks, years, as well as our capacity to lead and to be led.
Writing long hand rather than typing makes a difference as well.
Benefits of a gratitude practice
There are a host of benefits that come with creating a intentional practice of gratitude.
Feel better about your life
Become more optimistic about the future
Increase your capacity for resilience when encountering stressful circumstances
Gain greater perspective on obstacles and opportunities
Improve the quality of your relationships
Encounter fewer health problems
Experience improved self-esteem
Sleep better
When you genuinely feel grateful, it shifts your entire perspective on your day, your emotions are more positive and you are able to think more creatively, even when faced with obstacles.
Gratitude practice 101
We invite you get a notebook and try out this simple but powerful practice for 3 weeks.
Once a day in the morning take 5 minutes to answer these gratitude enhancing questions:
1. What are three simple things I am grateful for as I start this day? What are things that I may allow to interfere with that gratefulness? How might I set those aside for a moment longer to refocus on any positive aspect?
2. What positive quality of mine do I want to express today, despite any ups and down that may come my way?
3. What learning edge (or goal) of mine do I want to cultivate through thoughts, feelings and/or actions today? How will I step outside of my comfort zone long enough to learn or expand?
Journal these at the start of each day as feasible or at a minimum take 5 minutes to quietly sit with the learning reflection and questions in your mind.
From day 2 onward, first reflect on what there is for you to learn from yesterday's answers to these 3 questions and your capacity to hold the intentions of questions 2 and 3 throughout the day.
Journaling with a focus on gratitude has been proven to rewire portions of our brain for positivity and resilience that is borne out of enhancing the sense of possibility and reducing our anxiety re real or imagined scarcities.
Remember to bring a stance of curiosity and self compassion to this practice (see Self Compassion for the Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer book recommendation). Set aside self or other judgment and fixed/fixer mindset (see Growth Mindset to learn more about Carol Dweck’s work contrasting Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset).
“Being human is not about being one particular way; it is about being as life creates you - with your own particular strengths and weaknesses, gifts and challenges, quirks and oddities.”
*Kristin Neff is a researcher at University of Austin and a leader in the field of Self Compassion. She defines self-compassion as being characterized by 4 elements that we can grow in ourselves: 1. self-kindness, 2. a sense of our common humanity, 3. mindfulness, and 4. clear boundaries. Her research has shown that when we attend to these 4 dynamics for ourselves over time, we grow our resilience and well-being. Self-compassion does not make us lazy or self-involved. We can continue to be aware of our shortcomings and areas for growth, but we can lessen the unhelpful inner critic voice, and reset our intentions and learning orientation for a more fulfilling and productive life.