Gratitude

Feeling gratitude… I used to think this was ridiculous but try it - it really does help!

In dark times it’s important to explore what you really need to feel happy and well. Focus on the small things that you are grateful for. The whole idea of gratitude practice, writing down four things you are grateful for at the end of each day, seemed ridiculous to me but my friend and life coaching guru @chasinglobsters encouraged me to try it for a month. Like most things she suggests, that I think are ridiculous, it really improved my mood and helped me explore the things I need in my life to keep my mind happy and healthy. 

Acknowledging the little things I am grateful for everyday pulled me out of the negative spin in the darkest of days when my body hurt so much I could barely think. I could always find four little things I was grateful for. I thought I’d lost positive Polly, this practice helped me rediscover her. As the weeks went on I could find so many things to be grateful for I hardly had room on my page to write them down. Each day my body hurt a little less and I could begin to see a way through the darkness. 

Gratitude practice is really hard to start with, particularly if you are having a tough time, but it works. Start with the simple things fresh air; birds singing, plants growing, a good coffee, a smile, a wag of your dog's tail and see where it leads you. 

Top Tips

• Use paper and pencil, something happens when you physically write things down, making a mark on paper makes it more real. 
• Keep a record so you can look back on difficult days and remind yourself of the good days. 

My gratitude practice regularly highlighted some things I am often grateful for. Things that have always been important to keep me jolly and feeling good. I hadn’t been careful to nurture these as times got tough when I began to get sick. So now this list sits on my wall and at the front of my diary to remind me to make space for them in my life. 

My allotment life is a great way to get one of my gratitudes into my daily routine, ‘Time out doors’. I may only be there to check the butterfly nets, water newly planted crops or collect a few raspberries but it’s all time outside breathing in the fresh air! One of my top five goodness for wellness needs. 

Try it, see what you think! 

Polly x

Thank you for reading the Jolly Journal - I really appreciate your interest and hope it's of value to you. I am dyslexic and for years this stopped me writing because of the fear of getting it wrong. Now I am embracing my fear so I appreciate your understanding if you see a mistake I have missed. Thank you! - Polly x

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