Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get caught up in the things that go wrong in our days, years, and lives. A perfect example is the end of the year. Every year we’re all saying “next year will be the year!” It might, but I guarantee we glossed over some pretty incredible things that happened during the year you’re already in. We’re constantly looking to the next thing, the better thing, the thing someone else has that we want. We miss the wonderful things we already have. We’re not stopping to be grateful.
I want to be clear, I was that person - the outcome person. The “if I just had X then I would be happy.” Unfortunately, I was missing all of the blessings of the journey I was already on. Throughout my journey, I’ve had some incredible moments, little wins, and life changing lessons. Things I didn’t stop to appreciate until I forced myself into a daily gratitude practice.
This “forced daily gratitude practice” took a LONG time to be consistent with but I’ve been going strong for 60 days now. I can honestly say I feel a huge shift in my mood and outlook on life. Everyone is different and I think there are a lot of ways to do this but keeping it simple is the best way to make sure you can complete it each morning. I use an app because I’m always on the go and I love that I can attach photos to the journal entry for future reference. I also love that the prompts are already set up for me. I just won’t do routine things if I have to think too hard about them.
GRATITUDE JOURNAL RESOURCES
INSIDE THE FIVE MINUTE JOURNAL
- A daily quote
- Three AM Prompts
- Three PM Prompts
The app also includes -
- The ability to attach photos to your journal entry.
- Meditations and wellness tips.
I love it because it’s quick, it challenges me to think about what I’m grateful for, how I will show up each day, how I will be intentional, and what I could do differently tomorrow.
It meets you where you’re at and allows you to improve at your own pace.
INCORPORATING GRATITUDE INTO MY MORNING ROUTINE
estimate time start to finish is +/- 2 hours
- Wake up and get my gym clothes on. [ 15 minutes ]
- Light an intentional candle, make coffee, snack on a high protein high fat treat (I love cottage cheese with blueberries), drink a giant glass of water with Juna Detox drops, and take my vitamins. [ 15 minutes ]
- Sip on my coffee, cuddle my pup, and fill out my Five Minute Journal prompts. [ 5 minutes ]
- Read a book that inspires or entertains me. [ 10 minutes ]
- Go to the gym. [ 1 hour 15 minutes ]
Look, you’ve seen one hundred thousand morning routines. There’s nothing special about mine. The takeaway is the time it takes. We often think we don’t have the time, but we are wasting our time on EXTERNAL things. My first three hours of my day are mine and mine alone. I don’t check texts, socials, or emails. I’m lucky that I can have 3 hours, it won’t always be that way. But when you break down the construct of your day you’ve got 1,140 minutes. 420 minutes of that should be spent sleeping. That leaves you 720 minutes in the day. Which translates to upwards of 720 thoughts that could go any which way if you don’t have the right mindset. You don’t get to control what happens once the outside world starts busting in like the kool-aid man. I promise you not all thoughts during your day will be good ones.
Not all of the events in your day will be good ones either. However, you get to CHOOSE what you focus on. Make it gratitude - for the lessons, for the opportunities, for the joy, the love, the peace, the experiences. That is how you improve your mental health. You start by working on your mindset. You can control your mindset, it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do, but you can do it. And a daily gratitude practice is a great way to start.