Another Year to Reflect and Grow...

A new year has begun and a lot of people like to look at this time as a reflection of the past and the new resolutions for the future. For myself, I like to think about where I am in the present...what are areas in which I am stuck in and how can I push past that.

A common theme that I have been noticing is negative thinking. It comes across through anger and frustration, but I am also seeing it by people isolating themselves and becoming defeated in life. When there are negative thoughts it seems to be easier to put the blame on someone else. "They did this..." or "It's because of what that person said/did". Too often we are letting "other people" control our thoughts and actions, rather than questioning ourselves of "why do I feel this way?" or "why does this make me feel this way?"

I will admit there are times I still get stuck in this thought process and that is when I need to stop! How do I stop this? ...and that is when I came across Gratitude Journaling.

What is a gratitude journal? It's making a habit to write down things that you are grateful for. This can be simple daily thoughts such as quotes, a positive thought, or a person you care for. The goal is to rewire your brain to focus more on the positive aspects of life.

Benefits of a gratitude journal are increasing positive thinking, improving self-esteem, better sleep, makes you generally happier and reduces stress. It also is the beginning to have more positive thinking rather than reverting back to the negative.

Below are more resources on gratitude journaling along with some prompts. Cheers to the New Year!

Resources:

5 Reasons Keeping a Gratitude Journal Will Change Your Life- https://www.happify.com/hd/why-you-should-write-a-gratitude-journal/

Gratitude Journal: 35 Prompts, Templates, and Ideas to Start

https://www.scienceofpeople.com/gratitude-journal/