26. august 2023
Gratitude Journaling
The practices of gratitude journaling, including setting positive intentions, are an impactful method for enhancing well-being and fostering a positive outlook on life. Gratitude journaling, where individuals note things they're thankful for, has been proven to boost happiness, reduce depression, and improve sleep by shifting focus from deficiencies to the abundance in life. Setting positive intentions each day or week guides behaviour and perception, enhancing productivity and satisfaction through a focus on positive outcomes and embodying constructive attitudes.
By emphasizing gratitude and the search for positives and silver linings, this method encourages a mindset shift towards optimism and resilience, even in the face of adversity. The method speaks to the readiness and predisposition to identify, appreciate, and leverage positive aspects, opportunities, or outcomes, especially in situations that might initially seem negative or challenging. This invites a mindset where one is mentally prepared and actively looking to find positive elements in their environment, experiences, or circumstances.
Gratitude Journaling
Each morning or at the start of each week, use our template (available for presentation participants) to write down two things you are grateful for, one small and one bigger. These can range from small pleasures, foods etc. to major achievements, persons or other aspects of your life that you value. It is allowed to reuse if you’re not in an original mode. The practice of acknowledging gratitude helps shift your focus from what's lacking to what's abundant in your life, reinforcing a positive outlook and making it easier to spot positives in the coming difficult situations in your life.
Benefit: Regular gratitude journaling has been linked to increased happiness, reduced depression, and improved sleep. It encourages a shift towards appreciating what we have, rather than fixating on what we lack, thereby enhancing overall life satisfaction.
Research Foundation: A seminal study by Emmons and McCullough (2003) found that participants who wrote about things they were grateful for just once a week were more optimistic and felt better about their lives compared to those who focused on irritations or neutral life events. This practice has been shown to activate regions of the brain associated with positive emotion and reward, supporting its role in enhancing well-being.