_____________________PART TWO: GRATITUDE JOURNALING_______________________
You might have noticed, after completing the exercise in Part 1, your internal monologue contains many or few negative thoughts. By writing it all on paper, we have a little screenshot of what your brain is usually like for a lot of the day or when you have a quiet moment to yourself. The fact your internal monologue or stream-of-consciousness only comes out when you have time to yourself is significant, since at the end of every day, every person on the planet has a quiet moment - going to bed to sleep. When you’re lying in your bed at night, with your eyes closed and nothing to distract you, this is when your internal monologue takes centre stage. Many people with anxiety disorders also tend to have sleep disorders; probably, this is somewhat related to the fact that, when trying to sleep, anxious thoughts can creep in, stimulating a stress response. I’m sure many people at various points of their lives can relate to the image of the person lying awake staring at the ceiling all night, unable to sleep as the weight of the world bears down on their minds.
At the end of this part, I will walk through something called “gratitude journaling” - a method for bringing to the forefront of your mind all the positivity in your life. The reason I’m bringing sleep into this part is that, when I practice this journaling, I feel immediately that my outlook is more optimistic, my worries are fewer, and a night's sleep comes a little easier. Gratitude journaling is a practice whereby you make a list or write a page of paper simply outlining, in very simple language, what you are grateful for in your life, what really makes you appreciative of the world around you. There is a lot of research going on at the moment around gratitude; some preliminary studies show benefits in everything from your health to your productivity at work! Sometimes, it may feel like there isn’t much to be grateful about, and situations can be tough. If you can think of something immediately - great! However, for many people, money problems, relationship troubles, or maybe even a job you hate can take over your thoughts, and it might seem difficult to think of something. The truth is, though, everyone has something to be thankful for; sometimes, they just need to remind themselves.
If you’re finding it tough to think of anything, think of the day to day; go back to the basics! What are the simple pleasures in your life, particular meals you get to eat often, television shows that are close to your heart, even good weather? This may seem silly, but all these things are something you should try to feel grateful for. Who are the people close to you, the people who would miss you if you weren’t around? Who are the people you feel glad to see when they walk into a room? Be thankful for them! Even more fundamental, be thankful for your body, the medium with which you interact with the world. If you have issues with your health, which may cause you to feel resentment towards your body, remember that any happiness or pleasure you get in life comes through your five-senses and the medium of your body.
If you believe in God, you may find you already incorporate this into prayer. If not, it’s a great way of expressing your gratitude that need not be tied to any religious practice and can be carried out in a secular manner. Regardless, gratitude journaling works, and when carried out daily, it can really help with anxiety. I’ll run through some tips on how to carry out this kind of journaling below.
_________________________________EXERCISE___________________________________
In much the same way as we began exercise one, I will ask that you find somewhere quiet, where you will not be disturbed. Follow basically the same tips as in that initial paragraph in the first exercise. This means, most of all, be comfortable and relaxed.
For this exercise, I would recommend taking ten minutes - although there’s nothing to stop you from going over this time limit, and if you find that you’re enjoying it, you can keep journaling for as long as you like. Remember that for all subsequent exercises in this guide.
You can write the journal in either bullet points or as paragraphs - with this journal entry, the content matters more than the form.
Start by making thanks for the most significant things in your life - a roof over your head, your loved ones, etc.
Remember, when you’re writing, the emphasis is on gratitude - instead of simply listing items, try to give detailed reasons you’re grateful for each one. Fix your mind on the qualities about these people, places, or things that make your life better and why they occurred to you.
Other than the above, there isn’t any strict rules about how it should look at the end. The main thing is you feel grateful. There’s no need to read back over your entry for today, although if you would like to, that’s fine too.
Similar to the first exercise, when you finish writing, come back to it later and look over what you’ve written.
Reflecting on the exercise, how do you feel? Did you write anything you didn’t expect to when starting? Do you feel you’ve learned anything new about yourself, or how you feel about the world around you?
After thinking about the above questions, you’re now ready to reflect on specific events and moments in your life, which will be the subject of our next part.
