A Thankful Journal

Sometimes in life we are faced with trials that are of course to help us grow but also allow us to be able to better understand other people and where they are coming from.

After my 1st baby I soon became very aware that depression is quite real and if you don't think it is then you obviously have never had it. Previous to that 1st baby I was in denial about how devastating depression really can be.

I'm a very stubborn person and I really don't like medications so I've decided to battle my depression without meds. I have good days and bad days....

Lately we've had soooo much going wrong that getting through an entire day really takes all of my available energy. There really are so many things that are going wrong that if I dwell on it, I just spiral downward ALL day long.

On the flip side I have soooooo many things to be grateful for. When I think about how extremely blessed I am its a lot harder to feel so miserable.

So this weeks tip is something I used to do a few years ago. I stopped because I let myself feel embarrassed--which is ridiculous. I NEED to do this again and in order to properly motivate myself, I'm going to tell all of you about it.


Thankful Journal
Each night before bed I would write in as little as a sentence (sometimes more) about one thing I was grateful for that day. I tried not to ever repeat so I would spend the day looking for something new I was grateful for. It really was an amazing experience. I did this for over a year and ended up publishing everything in my family's yearly book I get printed at Blurb. My comments were very personal and after I gave my book away to some family members I felt pretty embarrassed and ended up ending my nightly writings.

I'm bad at keeping a journal or doing anything that is super habitual but the trick I found that worked for me is well... a little embarrassing too but maybe it will work for you. :) I kept my little journal in a cupboard in the bathroom and since I ALWAYS use the restroom before bed I would write while I ahem....you know.

I HIGHLY recommend this practice. If you want to modify to improve your relationship with your spouse or someone else, just think about one thing a day that this person does that you love and you'll soon notice less and less things that bother you and find more and more reasons to love the other person! :)