The other day I was just chilling and chatting with one of my favourite humans in this crazy/beautiful world, Maresce, and we started talking about the concept of a gratitude journal. I don't want to come across as Captain Obvious but this is basically a journal where every day you make an effort to write down something/everything/a few things - you get the drift - that you are thankful for. It is true that sometimes in this life we feel super duper grateful for our blessings. It is also true that sometimes we feel as though there is nothing to be thankful for - and in my opinion, this is never the case.
I think the concept of having a gratitude journal is great because if done correctly, every single day (I guess ideally at the end of the day), you'd take a moment to think about and write down the aspects of your life that you are thankful for, instead of obsessing over those that you would like to disappear into thin air. To me, this practice is so very important; especially on days when it seems as though there is literally nothing out there to smile/shout (happily!!) about.
I'm not sure why I decided to write this blog post at 02:28AM on a Saturday morning. Just kidding! It definitely has something to do with the fact that I have these awful things called SEP exams creeping up on me on the 14th and 15th of this month aka in 4 days aka I'm super nervous and procrastinating like a boss and I also can't sleep because switching off my mind is not really working right now and I have to live up to my drama queen title! (Do you see how easy it is to focus on the bad?)
I'm not sure why I decided to write this blog post at 02:28AM on a Saturday morning. Just kidding! It definitely has something to do with the fact that I have these awful things called SEP exams creeping up on me on the 14th and 15th of this month aka in 4 days aka I'm super nervous and procrastinating like a boss and I also can't sleep because switching off my mind is not really working right now and I have to live up to my drama queen title! (Do you see how easy it is to focus on the bad?)
SO, here are just a few things that I am thankful for:
- My friends and family; near and far and their happiness and healthiness (always)
- My family is coming to visit me very very very very soon. MEGA YAY
- My family is coming to visit me very very very very soon. MEGA YAY
- I unexpectedly got to spend some quality time with some great people today in between studying
- Eggs. I ate a lot of eggs today which was great because I didn't order food and I saved some money! A rarity in DXB.
Having a physical gratitude journal that you can touch, write in, and re-read is also a very important part of this cool concept because it allows you to go back and marvel at your work :). No but seriously, I think its also better than just *thinking* about what you *would write* in your journal because you actually DO it when you write it down instead of thinking "Oh I should really practice my daily gratitude". Eventually, day by day, it becomes the norm and you wouldn't even have to think about doing it any more, you just would. Ya dig?
"There's an app for that!" (Of course). Just look up "gratitude journal app" and you should find it if you would prefer to have it on your phone.
I hope everyone enjoys their weekend! Hope you feel inspired to start a gratitude journal and always see the good in everything!
