Gratitude is a cornerstone of mental health, especially when we’re striving to live a life of sobriety. We know this to be true.
Keeping a gratitude journal is a way of being grateful, we’re told.
But what happens when keeping a record of your gratitude becomes a task that makes you feel… well, ungrateful?
There’s a fine line between sticking to a wholesome discipline and being tied to a task that feels like a chore and has merely become a ‘tick the box’ exercise.
Writing, for a start, is not everyone’s forte and can seem like hard work, overshadowing the benefits that you’re aiming for in the first place.
If this is happening, it could be time to consider how you’re framing gratitude and its place in your life.
Living in gratitude
Rather than record every little thing you’re grateful for on paper, cultivate a habit of noting what you’re grateful for as you experience it. You might want to mention it out loud, share it with someone else or just acknowledge it yourself. Pressing pause – even just for the briefest of moments – to recognise something that is wonderful or special is in itself, gratitude as a practice.
For example, try some small acts of gratitude. Tell the person who serves your coffee that they’re doing a great job, or compliment a colleague on how their work makes your life easier. Instead of noticing the beautiful weather outside, pop out for a few minutes to soak it all up. Maybe you can put down your phone or book while you’re eating a lovely meal, in order to savour every bite. Or next time you’re having a conversation with a friend, take time to notice something about them that you appreciate, and tell them.
An attitude of gratitude
Why wait for something to come along to feel grateful for, when you can propagate good things by projecting a positive mindset? The old lyric of ‘when you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you’ is a powerful adage to live by. If you can keep it up, you will find that you have naturally manifested a lot to be grateful for just by virtue of having a sunny disposition. This method is not completely foolproof – life runs on its own terms and it can be hard to keep your chin up when life’s obstacles and challenges throw a spanner in the works – but it’s a great behavioural template to return to as a default.
Journaling is not all bad
Though you might be tempted, don’t throw your gratitude journal away just yet. Keeping a journal can be a way to find your way back to gratitude when life has served you some lemons and you really want to make some lemonade. When things get tricky, writing down a list of what you are grateful for can help get you back on track – seeing the words written on paper can be powerful.