Gratitude Journalling - Is it worth it?
Journal, Don't Journal. Eat eggs for breakfast, Don't eat breakfast. Drink bullet coffee, avoid caffeine at all costs.
These are all headline items you see regularly on blogs and articles on how to be successful, happy and the best you. I call bullsh*t.
Anyone that has worked with me, or knows me personally, knows I'm not keen on telling people what to do. The best answers come from YOU. With that in mind what I share below is my experience, not a call to action!
The story starts a few years ago, when I first started becoming aware of the journalling phenomenon. I gave it a go, I tried blank notebooks and guided journals but couldn't stick to either. I found myself resenting the journal and the process and the gratitude part became less of a positivity exercise and more of a chore. Fast forward to earlier this year and my friend gave me a notebook for my birthday. It's beautiful, creamy, thick pages are bound in dark green silk. It's truly a thing of beauty. When she bought it for me I wasn't sure what I was going to use it for, but I knew that it had to be important, a gift from a friend as gorgeous as this couldn't be wasted on shopping lists!
One day I had one of those magical days where everything slid into place so perfectly I almost had to pinch myself. It was so good I opened the book and started to write. I scribbled my feelings, what had happened that day and a few gratitude points. I wrote about what I was excited to be working on, plans for the next few weeks and at the end (very roughly) scribbled a drawing. This was my start to making a 'gratitude journal'.
I've added to my 'journal' sporadically for the last few months, not setting myself any daily or even weekly targets. I pick it up when the mood takes me. I only write positive items or items that will help create joy. I haven't counted but I think I probably write it in roughly once a fortnight but some of those might be bunched together and I might go a month without writing. It feels great at the time I write in it and fills me with positivity for the rest of the day but more importantly it's a great tool for the days I don't feel so great or something hasn't gone to plan. I can read a couple of days of gratitude and 'well done me' sentences and immediately feel better.
Journaling for me isn't a daily thing, in fact it's detrimental if it is but done in a way that works for me it's a really great tool. I don't want you to rush out and buy a notebook but maybe take a minute to ask yourself....."is there anything I can experiment with that might benefit me" or "is there a way to make this (insert any task/habit/situation) work for me?". Have fun!