World gratitude day is fast approaching – Tuesday 21 September 2021! In preparation for gratitude day, I’m thinking about all the things I currently do to celebrate life wins.
I have a daily gratitude journal and I try to spend some time each day reflecting on what I’m grateful for. Admittedly, it can be difficult to do when other things on the to-do list get in the way.
However, now more than ever, I understand the benefits of taking time to reflect.
Doing something I love and living my purpose through this blog recently, has helped me tremendously. It would be great to turn my passion into a full-time job. Let’s see what the future holds for me. In the meantime, it’s time to put the foundations in place and gradually build upon them.
Given my mental health struggles over the last few years, which you can read more about in this blog post, I’m planning to use this official day of the year, to not only practice gratitude but to put measures in place to actively process my emotions and learn from my negative experiences. Life throws negative experiences at us each day. The news from around the world can impact us and the pandemic hasn’t helped maintain a good standard of mental health.
When life becomes difficult, it’s about managing your reaction to the current circumstances. And also remembering this moment will pass and happier times will come.
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As well as preparation for gratitude day, I’m on a mission to fill up my mental health toolkit with a range of options to cope with the bad days.
I also plan to adjust my work schedule when applying for a future job role, to ease the pressure of juggling family life and working full time. It’s time to accept this needs to happen.
Doing something I love and living my purpose through this blog recently, has helped me tremendously. It would be great to turn my passion into a full-time job. You can read more about why I started blogging here. Let’s see what the future holds for me.
For progress to be made, I have to learn how to process my emotions correctly, as and when they come up. Even if it’s later that day, it’s good practice to start the next day afresh, without carrying baggage from the previous day.
In the meantime, it’s time to put the foundations in place and gradually build upon them.
Gratitude day has come at the perfect time and is a great place to begin the final stages of my recovery. Pass me the building blocks…
My strategy
The foundation for a happier and more fulfilling life surely has to start with a mindset adjustment. These are the points I want to cover:
- How I think and what impact this has on me
- Owning my thoughts, realising I create and control them
- Practising mindfulness
For me, these three things must be the basis for real change.
For progress to be made, I have to learn how to process my emotions correctly, as and when they come up. Even if it’s later that day, it’s good practice to start the next day afresh, without carrying baggage from the previous day. These are some of the other self-care tools I used to recover from my breakdown.
In preparation for gratitude day, I’m starting to think about what I’m grateful for and these are the questions I’ve been asking myself over the last few weeks.
Looking back at yesterday, what was a positive? List all of the ones you can think of.
What progress have I made today? List all achievements.
What am I thankful for today?
What can I learn from my negative experiences?
What negative emotions did I feel yesterday?
How can I prevent these negative emotions tomorrow?
If I am in a negative mood, how could my situation be worse? Look on the bright side.
What tools can I add to my mental health toolkit today?
Why I’m choosing mindfulness
In the past when I’ve heard the term mindfulness: beware of your thoughts, you are what you think, etc I’ve never really understood what it meant. Until you’ve lived through an experience where you literally had no choice but to put these tools in place, I think it can feel a bit like an airy-fairy term a self-help guru would use. But it works…
Over the years I’ve used these practices to help with my anxiety levels, but I’ve never put a toolkit in place and used it consistently, even when I am well. As part of my self-care routine moving forward, this will be a daily routine for me. I now have to put measures in place to avoid getting to such a low point mentally in the future.
This article explains more about mindfulness. Healthline also has some great tips & tricks to try if you’re suffering from anxiety. Headscape is a great app if you are looking to improve your meditation or mindfulness skills.
Some quotes to give us the inspiration to be more mindful and take time to reflect on what we are grateful for…
To celebrate gratitude day, why not send a personalised gift, a thank you or a special card in the post…
Or a special gift, to show someone how much you value them…
You can read all of my blog posts here…
How are you preparing for gratitude day?
Do you have a plan in place to set aside time to think about what you’re grateful for?
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Thank you for reading my post today – I hope it has helped you 🙂
