Having started a new gratitude journal this year and doing so with my son, I wanted to share with you all today the benefits that you can get from this activity, not just for yourself but for your whole family.
Too often and particularly at this time of year we can become very focused on the future , which can be healthy but not when forgetting the importance of the present moment and in being grateful of all we already have. It is important for us to be aware of this because becoming too future focused can potentially lead to stress if we feel we are not meeting all the demands we set for ourselves. This is where gratitude comes in.
For complete health and happiness gratitude needs to become a daily and consistent focus for us. By doing this we become more present and appreciative of what we already have. The combination of gratitude and goal setting is actually how we achieve our ultimate state of being and living in flow. To understand more on this please check out this great video below with Vishen Lakhiani on the concept of Flow.
When we are very forward focusing people we have to be wary of falling in to the stress trap of becoming too results focused and instead remember to focus on flow. When we are in this state, it is one of the most beautiful states to be in, gratitude is what helps to bring us back to this state. Gratitude will also work for you if you find your mind slips in to the past a lot and you become focused on what is missing in this way. By bringing your focus on to gratitude you will automatically become present and the more you do this the better you will consistently feel.
Stress and anxiety are caused by over-thinking the future and what you feel you have to do, low mood on the other hand is caused by overthinking the past. By bringing your focus here and now and on to all you have to be grateful for, you will begin to find yourself more at peace. Peace through presence is what naturally comes through being in the present moment and practicing gratitude is one of the quickest way possible to do this.
In just over two weeks of keeping our gratitude diaries I am noticing great benefits already for me and my son, being more here and now and therefore happier in this moment and what could really be more important than this?
Please give the gratitude journal a try for yourself and see how it can benefit your life too. Then comment and let me know of your own experiences also in doing so or if you are already doing so too, it would be great to hear from you.
Gratitude and Blessings,
Miranda x
For more info on the benefits of a gratitude journal check out this great blog below too.
How Gratitude Can Change Your Life – The Change Blog
http://www.thechangeblog.com/ Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0800
A common method to develop the practice of gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal, a concept that was made famous by Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book “Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude ”. This exercise basically consists of writing down …
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