~ Gratitude ~
Every day is not always good, but there is always something good in every day.
A simple concept based around gratitude to improve your daily life.
As a therapist I see many clients suffering from varying degrees of depression and stress on a regular basis. They have come to me because they want to make changes and improve their wellbeing, which involves raising their energetic vibration. Your vibration is an energy signature of how you feel, your thoughts, your beliefs, what you focus on mostly. I always explain that a Reiki treatment will indeed raise their energies, but only for a little while, it is up to them to make changes to improve their energy and maintain it at a higher level. The higher the vibration, the better the situation. One of the energetic rules is that ‘ whatever you send out, you get more of back’. The universe magnifies your energy. So, for example if you send out constant thoughts and feelings about not having money, that’s what you’ll get back enegetically, energies of ‘lack’. Alternatively if you send out good vibes, that’s what comes back magnified.
One of the best ways to improve your energy is with gratitude. If you send out energies of gratefulness for all that you have already, that will be magnified and more good things will come your way, more happiness, more love, more peace. The law of attraction, a guide to manifesting, states that if your energy is vibrationally high you can manifest whatever you choose.
Gratitude Journals
I use this exercise simply as a way of improving the feel good factor on a daily basis. Even the worst day will have something good in it, it may be small but it will be there. It teaches a new perspective on your daily life and can help you to make changes in your life, that result in better well being. There are several benefits to gratitude journalling;
1. Lowers stress levels, sitting quietly for ten minutes each night before bed concentrating on positive things.
2. Sets a feeling of calm in the evenings.
3. You can gain a new perspective of what is important to you and what you truly appreciate in your life.
4. By noting what you are grateful for, you will gain clarity on what you want to have more of in your life, and what you can cut from you life.
5. It helps you focus on what really matters.
6. Keeping a gratitude journal helps you learn more about yourself and become more self-aware and more in touch with your inner self.
7. On days when you feel blue, read back through your gratitude journal to readjust your attitude and remember that you have great people and things in your life. It’s also a great way of keeping wonderful small memories recorded.
How to Journal
It is a very simple process. Choose a notebook. There are many beautiful books out there, pick something special that you want to keep. You can buy specialist gratitude journals, but an ordinary jotting pad will be just as good. Each night write in your journal, all of the things that you are grateful for that day. Some days will be harder than others but as you adjust your focus, you will find small things each day. Here are a few tips for good journalling;
1. Don’t just go through the motions. Make a decision to be consciously more grateful.
Don’t reluctantly journal because you think you should. Feel what you write. Believe it. It’s not a process it’s a way of being
2. Don’t set yourself a minimum number of things to write per day.
Some days I can fill a page, other days just a couple of lines. Don’t put yourself under pressure to stick to the same amount each day. Be flexible and don’t take the joy away by being too regimented, it is an enjoyable thing.
3. Elaborating on why you are grateful allows you to really explore your feelings.
You should journal with the intention of keeping your notebooks and looking back over them. On New Years eve I have a ritual where I go through mine from that year and relive all the wonderful things I am blessed with. So when you write, make it clear why you are grateful for the items you add. For example: you could write ‘I am grateful for my children’ which you are every day, however a better entry to look back on, and to raise your vibrations could be ‘my children crying with laughter as we all watched a movie together’
4. Focus on people rather than things.
As much as I love my laptop, it can never give me the same warm, fuzzy, loved feeling that my husband instills by making me a surprise cup of tea, just when I need it.
5. Don’t rush; savor every word.
Don’t see this as another chore to get through. The fact that you can make a list of things that make you feel grateful should make you feel, umm, well, grateful!
6. Include surprises.
Unexpected events often elicit a greater emotional response. They’re also wonderful to look back on when you feel that life is mundane and the same old routine all the time.
7. Keep the negative out.
Remember, this is a gratitude journal, or as I sometimes refer to it ‘ a book of loveliness ‘. Keep it to just that. You can always keep a personal diary of daily events, to rant and chunter in, keep your journal full of good vibes.
8. Mix it up. Don’t put same thing every day.
Expand your awareness. The more you do this, the more you’ll start to really appreciate what a gift life is. The world is beautiful. Learn to really experience it. Even if you haven’t left the house all day, you’ll find small magical things on a daily basis.
9. Be creative.
Who says a gratitude journal has to be full of lists? Mine contains everything from concert tickets to photos and restaurant receipts. Have some fun with it. Leave post it notes, love letters, scrapbook it. Colour it in, add stickers, the list is endless, make it yours. Create your own cover, add photos and more.
10. Give it a go
Some experts say it takes 30 days to make or break a habit. Don’t pressure yourself but get yourself into a positive habit. Give it a go, see if you can truly change your world in 30 days, raise your vibrations and smile more.
Author Info
No Comments