I’m just a girl with a passion for wellness. It all started in 2018, when I was newly unemployed, in the middle of an identity crisis, while struggling with a couple of pesky psychological conditions. This challenged me learn more about healing if I didn't want to become a victim of them. Which then lead me to creating Hai, a blog about healing, wellness and transformation, and a safe space for me to share all the lesson I learnt from changing a few dozen habits.
It has taken years, but all of those different approaches I have tried have left me with an assortment of techniques and reminders that keep me sane, healthy, and optimistic. Today I use them to help people change their lives through my writing, life coaching program, and especially the guided wellness journals I thoughtfully designed for your healing and self-discovery journey. I created these wellness journals as a tool for self-reflection, and to make the journal therapy that I needed, accessible to everyone, everywhere.
My latest creation is... The Gratitude Journal.
Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives.
In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power. At the core of this emotion lies the realization that we are in some way blessed.
Now to some, this may be vast riches, estates, and fancy automobiles; while to others it might just be the gift of health and life itself. More than what it expresses, it is what gratitude does for an individual that is important. It lets the individual know that they are not wanting or lacking, but in fact they have so much that they feel the need to express thanks for good fortune.
For those who would say that this is an exercise in self-deception, I would say that gratitude cannot be faked. You express it only when you feel it—and if you feel it. Gratitude arises when you realize and appreciate that there are reasons for you to be happy; it may be the love of your family, a job that brings you great fulfillment, or an expensive gift you may have received.
Gratitude serves us well, in good times and bad. In good times, it helps us celebrate and reaffirm all that is good in our life, and in bad times it reminds us that we still have a lot of blessings to be grateful for. This will give us the courage and strength to engineer a comeback.
How to use This Journal
First, please remember that there is no "correct" or "right" way to use this journal. You will not be graded on how quickly you complete the pages that follow. Actually, I would suggest that you take your time.
Understand how to journal your gratitude
Before you get writing, it can help to understand what gratitude is and how you can write about it. Gratitude is the emotion you get when you’re thankful for someone or something. While you can experience gratitude without putting effort into it, you can also be intentional about it. This is where writing about your gratitude in a journal helps. When you’re feeling down, you may find it difficult to think of something, but there’s always something you can be grateful for. It may be a good friend, the sunshine, or even just a good book that you’re reading.
Start Small
We all go through tough times, and it can be difficult to find the positives when you’re feeling down. The great thing about keeping a gratitude journal is that it forces you to think about things you can be thankful for. These don’t even need to be big things! Start by looking at what’s around you. Perhaps you can be grateful for the pen you’re holding, because it’s allowing you to record your thoughts. Maybe you can be grateful that you have electricity in your house, which allows you to see the page you’re writing on. You might be grateful for the warm, comfy bed you get to sleep in each night. Or it could be gratitude towards a good friend who texted you earlier in the day.
While we can sometimes think that these things aren’t big enough to be worth writing about, starting small still has great benefits. The more you list what you’re grateful for, the more you’ll start to notice the shift in your overall wellbeing. Get Specific. Try to be more detailed in your gratitude journal than just, ‘I’m grateful for my bed’. Be specific about why you’re grateful for it. For example, ‘I’m grateful for my bed, because it’s a safe and comfortable place that I can relax and rest in each night’. Or perhaps, ‘I’m grateful for my friend, because she said something nice about my hair earlier and it made me feel good about myself’. Knowing why you feel grateful can help you get even more out of your journal. Keeping a gratitude journal is just one of the many wonderful ways you can influence your headspace and improve your mental well-being. Schedule your journaling into your day. To make journaling a part of your daily routine, set aside a time for it. Anchor it to another habit you’re already great at maintaining. Otherwise you might never make the time for it. Keep in mind that you don't have go chronologically from day 1-100, you can pick a random day each day. Do it as you see fit. could be gratitude towards a good friend who texted you earlier in the day. While we can sometimes think that these things aren’t big enough to be worth writing about, starting small still has great benefits. The more you list what you’re grateful for, the more you’ll start to notice the shift in your overall well-being.
Get Specific.
Try to be more detailed in your gratitude journal than just, ‘I’m grateful for my bed’. Be specific about why you’re grateful for it. For example, ‘I’m grateful for my bed, because it’s a safe and comfortable place that I can relax and rest in each night’. Or perhaps, ‘I’m grateful for my friend, because she said something nice about my hair earlier and it made me feel good about myself’. Knowing why you feel grateful can help you get even more out of your journal. Keeping a gratitude journal is just one of the many wonderful ways you can influence your headspace and improve your mental well-being.
Schedule your journaling into your day.
To make journaling a part of your daily routine, set aside a time for it. Anchor it to another habit you’re already great at maintaining. Otherwise you might never make the time for it. Keep in mind that you don't have go chronologically from day 1-100, you can pick a random day each day. Do it as you see fit.
Setting.
Pick a safe place to write in your journal. Naturally, journaling is usually easier to do in a quiet place that is free from interruptions and distractions.
Honesty.
In an effort to open yourself to letting go, you must be honest with yourself. You must think your true thoughts and write them out, feel your true feelings and express them. These are pages designed to be a safe space for you to freely write about whatever is on your heart.
Privacy.
This is your journal and yours alone. Remember—you don't have to share your journal or show it to anyone you don't want to. If you are in therapy, you may be invited to share some of what you write in your journal. Yet, keep in mind that sharing should always be optional, not mandatory. You may find a trusted person who can be available to you if and when you want to talk out any thoughts and feelings the journal brings up for you. When I say a trusted person, I mean someone who accepts you where you are right now in your healing journey. This person shouldn't judge you or think it's his or her job to "fix" you quickly.
Lastly, please remember that there is no "correct" or "right" way to use this journal. You will not be graded on how quickly you complete the pages that follow. Actually, I would suggest that you take your time. Remember —there are no rewards for speed!
Of course, it might not be that easy to identify things to be thankful for. If you’re looking for gratitude examples, these can help:
Simple pleasures. Think about some of the everyday things that you take joy in. A nice cup of coffee, your favourite song on the radio, a particularly cosy jumper. Anything that has brought you pleasure can be celebrated.
Happy memories. It doesn’t have to be in there here and now; you could focus on positive moments from the past. Memorable days, happy events, or times when you’ve felt content are all worth being grateful for.
Important people. Your friends, family, and even your colleagues can play a big role in your life. Think about the people whose love and support has helped you through difficult times and those who have been there with you for the good times.
Nature. The world around us is full of wonder and beauty. Consider something from your environment that you find appealing or amazing, or simply enjoyable. The warm sun on your face, or the smell of freshly cut grass.
Acts of kindness. If someone has done something nice for you, no matter how small, being grateful can enhance your positive feelings. Similarly, if you’ve carried out a kind act, celebrate the mutually shared experience.
Accomplishments. Throughout your life, you will have worked towards goals, mastered skills, and demonstrated your abilities. Highlighting these accomplishments can help to boost your selfesteem.
Tranquil moments. Be grateful for the time you have to reflect on life or the moments where you can relax and take in all that’s around you. They don’t need to be incredible or extra special; you can still express gratitude for them.
Finally, always remember that gratitude gives you powers. Being grateful will give you certain powers that ungrateful people don’t have.
Grateful people have:
¾ The power to feel better about their lives
¾ The power to experience greater levels of joy and happiness
¾ The power to feel optimistic about the future
¾ The power to get sick less often
¾ The power to have more energy
¾ The power to have more determination and focus
¾ The power to sleep better
¾ The power to have better relationships with family, friends, and colleagues
¾ The power to be able to help others and offer emotional support The benefits of gratitude are numerous and well documented, and the techniques of inculcating it in ourselves are also known. What we need to do now is go ahead and make gratitude an inseparable part of us.
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See you in the next post.
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