Did you enjoy Part 1 of our Practical Ways to Practice Self Love Series on creating a personalized refuge?
This week, we’re looking into another practical way to practice self-love…
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥.
Did you know there are a wealth of benefits to keeping a gratitude journal?
A 2018 study entitled “The Science of Gratitude” outlined a list of advantages attributed to practicing gratitude for individuals:
- increased happiness and positive mood
- more satisfaction with life
- less materialistic
- less likely to experience burnout
- better physical health
- better sleep
- less fatigue
- lower levels of cellular inflammation
- greater resiliency
- encourages the development of patience, humility, and wisdom
Researchers analyzed their findings to find out why gratitude has these effects.
Here were the 4 main effects of gratitude:
Gratitude disconnects us from negative emotions and ruminating.
Writing down what we’re grateful for “shifts our attention” so that our focus is on positive emotions.
Expressing gratitude helps us even if we don’t directly share it with someone else.
We’re happier and more satisfied with life simply because we wrote about it.
The positive effects of gratitude writing build up!
You might not notice the benefit of a daily or weekly practice, but after several weeks and months, you will.
A gratitude practice trains the brain to be more in tune with experiencing gratitude in the moment.
Multiple studies have found that keeping a gratitude journal can also have positive effects on organs like the heart!
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You know that I’m a huge proponent of creating magical moments for yourself and others, and I find that regularly tracking my joy allows me to fully experience and appreciate them through reflection. It puts into perspective all that is good in my life so that even when I’m having a bad day, I remain aware of the beauty all around me.
What will your gratitude journal look like? How will you decorate it? What will the first entry be about?
