DAY ONE - Thursday 26.07.18 👭👭
Today I chose the topic “friends and family” from the 14-day gratitude challenge e-book, but chose to focus solely on friends as that was what I was feeling drawn to write about. I loved this topic as I feel sometimes we can take for granted the people we have around us and who have the biggest impact upon us. While writing about this topic I realised just how big of an impact my friends have made on me and have changed my life.
Today I wrote that I was grateful for the friends that I have made in my current town which I have lived in for nearly three years. Grateful that their friendship, love and support dissolved my previous feelings of loneliness and isolation which greatly affected my happiness and mindset. I lastly wrote that I am grateful for a new friendship in which I have found a beautiful soul who inspires me to be a happier, more positive and a vibrant being.
By deliberately stopping and taking a moment to myself this morning to write in my journal I felt calmer, my thoughts clearer and more centred than usual, as my mornings are usually rushed and leave me feeling stressed and flustered. I also found by writing what I was grateful for and my goal for today (“today I will”) I was more aware of my thoughts and feelings throughout the day and internally would acknowledge extra things that I am grateful for or things that make me happy.
I did however and often do find writing “why today was great” quite hard especially after a mundane run of the mill day at work, jobs at home, and caring for my toddler. Something I want to work on is seeing more beauty, happiness and gratefulness in the more mundane everyday experiences and things.
DAY TWO - Friday 27.07.18 🍎🧘🏼♀️
For day two I chose the topic “self-love for body and health” from the 14-day gratitude challenge e-book. I chose this topic, as It is something that I need to work on as I can often be very negative about my appearance or my health problems. I love that it’s included as a topic in the e-book because I believe so many of us like myself can be very negative or picky about how we look, how we feel and how we compare to others and it is important for us to be grateful for the body and health that we have been given. It made me realise that there are so many good things about my body and my health which I often overlook the negatives.
Today I wrote that I am grateful for my body that functions and allows me to do the things that I enjoy, needs and want to do. Things as simple as walking, talking and playing with my son. I also wrote that I am grateful for the way my body has reacted and changed over time to my previous bad eating habits and lifestyle. It has taught me what my body needs to be healthy and how to feel better internally and about myself and has to lead me to actively try to live a better lifestyle and have a better diet.
After writing in my journal today, I felt such an overwhelming sense of appreciation. This topic really made me think about how lucky I am to be alive and to have the body I do. I may have my own share of health problems but there are so many people in this world who are so much worse of and are still so grateful for the life they are given. This really puts it into perspective of just how lucky I am.
DAY THREE - Saturday 28.07.18 👦🏻👼🏻
Today I chose the category “job/study/career/motherhood” from the e-book, but chose to solely write about motherhood as in this moment I was feeling so blessed and drawn to write about this. I love this topic as it really gives you so much to think and write about and makes you see the positive things within the path/s you have chosen in life. This topic made me realise just how much motherhood means to me in the scheme of my life. I have always put motherhood ahead of a career or studying, as to me that has always made me the happiest. While I am doing well and love my job, being a mother has always been my priority and will always come above anything else.
Today I wrote that I am grateful for being a mother to two darling boys. I am grateful that I get to experience the feeling of undying love and devotion to another person, and in return feel forever loved and needed by that little person. I am grateful to have carried my first son for twenty-one weeks and to have had him with us for that time. For all that he and his loss has taught me and how it made me a stronger person.
Beginning to write in my journal today I found it easier to dig deep and fill out the spaces. I felt more self-aware and in tune with my inner thoughts. It evoked more positive thoughts and made me think of extra things I was grateful for throughout the day. This topic also made me really look at how my life has unfolded and how happy I am with how it has and how lucky I feel to live the life I do!
DAY FOUR - Sunday 29.7.18 🏠
Today I chose the topic “home” from the e-book to write in my journal about. I loved this topic because I often think we and definitely myself take our home and it contents for granted. It made me realise how many aspects of my home that I love, what it means to me and how it makes me feel, and also that “home” isn’t necessarily where I live.
Today I wrote that I am grateful for a warm safe place that I can call my home, and where myself and my family have all our favourite things and make lots of special memories. I am grateful that my home is my safe place which makes me feel calm and relaxed. I am lastly grateful for my husband, as wherever he is, is also my “home” - he is my biggest comfort and support.
The topic today made me feel so truly grateful for all the things in my life. The comforts and favourite things that we keep in our home, the memories and special moments we share in our home and how extremely lucky I am to have my husband. Today after writing in my journal I felt an overwhelming sense of love and happiness and put me in such a good mood for the day!
DAY FIVE - Monday 30.07.18 💭
Today as my topic to write about in my gratitude journal I chose “experiences” from the e-book. I loved this topic as I know that w-0hen it comes to a bad experience, I solely focus on the fact that it was bad, and the negative feelings that come from it. It’s a good feeling to look back on a negative experience and be able to see positive outcomes or learning experiences that have come about because of it.
I wrote that I am grateful for the experience of moving our little family away to a new and small rural town and starting a new life. While at the time it caused a large negative shift in my mental health causing negative changes in me as a person; it taught me a lot about myself, forced me to face and work on my mental health and made me a stronger person. It also showed me that my husband and I can do and survive anything together.
Now that I am up to day five, I have found that I really look forward to starting my day by writing in my journal. I am not forgetting to write in it and really enjoy focusing on what I am grateful for at the beginning of the day. It gives me such a positive and happy feeling and makes me more aware throughout the day of other things that I am grateful for. Who wouldn’t want to start the day off like that!
DAY SIX - Tuesday 31.7.18 💕
Today I chose the “hobbies/things that make you happy” topic from the 14-day gratitude challenge e-book. I loved this topic as I think it’s so important to have something in your life that you enjoy to even out everything we do on a daily basis. It also made me realise just how important these small things are to my overall mental health, and really help to keep me relaxed and happy.
Today I wrote that I am grateful for the time I get to spend playing with my son, as playing with him makes me laugh and feel so happy and lucky. I feel so proud to watch him express his inner thoughts and imagination while we play together. I am also grateful for my hobby of crocheting as it allows me to express my creativity and helps me to relax and clear my mind. It also makes me incredibly happy and proud when others love my creations.
After writing in my journal today I had a moment of realisation that there is just so much in our lives that we take for granted and don’t stop and think just how lucky and blessed we are to live the lives we do. I am feeling extremely grateful for everything in my life, the experiences, the people, the things, and the feelings. In this moment I am feeling very happy and content in my life.
DAY SEVEN - Wednesday 1.8.18 💰💰
Today I picked the topic “money & material things” from the e-book. I love this topic as so much of what we have, enjoy and use is because and dependant on the money we have/don’t have and we should be grateful for this. This topic has made me realise and look back on how our lives have changed over the years based upon the money we had or earned and how far we have come.
Today I wrote that I am grateful for the money that we earn, which allows us to live a comfortable life. It allows us to have a warm safe place to live, electricity and clean water. I am also grateful that it allows us to have creature comforts in life and nice things that we love and enjoy, as well as allowing us to provide for our son.
I’ve looked back and reflected on the past 7 days today and I feel such an overwhelming sense of happiness and gratitude. I think we so quickly get caught up with life and don’t realise just how much we have to be grateful for. Flipping through the pages of my gratitude journal I am reminded that I have so many wonderful people, things, experiences and memories in my life. Also taking a moment to myself to write in my gratitude journal has become such an essential part of my day, it makes me feel centred and always puts me in a happy positive mood.
Tara
