Gratitude journaling, and focusing on the good in life.
Many who suffer from anxiety and stress have found that changing their mindset to focus on what they’re grateful for has helped them have a more positive outlook as they go about their day. It’s easy to watch the news, scroll through social media stories, and feel overwhelmed by the negativity in the world. It’s no wonder that the focus on this negativity can cause additional stress when it appears that everything is out of control around us.
A gratitude journal helps you to focus on what it is in your life you appreciate and enjoy. Taking a few minutes per day to reflect on the aspects of your life going well can help you think more positively throughout the day.
How do you get started?
Rest assured, this isn’t something that needs to eat up a lot of your free time. Some people will do journal in the morning to start the day with a thankful heart while others choose to journal at night and reflect on the positives of the day.
If you are just starting out, here are a couple of prompts to get you on the path to thinking with a grateful mind:
- List 5 things you’re grateful for. This doesn’t have to be anything complex and can be as simple as being grateful for tacos or as thoughtful as listing your family or significant other.
- List 5 goals you have for the day. If you are journaling at night feel free to list goals for the next day. Again it doesn’t have to be super complicated. Maybe your goal is to do a load of laundry, cook a healthy dinner, or finish a project you’re working on. There are no wrong answers!
- List 5 things you are proud of from the day before. Maybe you started working out again, took time to go for a run, cleaned your bathroom, or helped out a coworker.
Scripting
Some people benefit from doing a type of journaling called scripting. Scripting is a type of manifestation where you write a journal entry about something as if it’s already happening in order to prepare your mind to think positively about something coming up you may be stressed about. It helps you to focus on the best case scenario and trains your brain to see the potential in that situation.
For example, let’s say you’re training to run your first marathon and you’re nervous because you have no idea what to expect when it comes to running that distance for the first time. You can use scripting as a way of visualizing the race as if it’s currently happening. How do you want to feel at certain points in the race? When are you going to take in fuel? What are you going to wear that day?
When it comes to stressful events it’s easy to focus on all the unknowns and potential negative outcomes and that’s really not doing us any favors in the confidence department. While scripting doesn’t mean everything will go perfectly, you’ll be in a more positive mindset to take your upcoming challenge head on.
Ready to start journaling? No need to go out and buy a new notebook (unless new notebooks make you happy). We have a downloadable page you can print out. Click the link below for your printable page!