Last year I facilitated a wellness and recovery group for persons with mental illness at a Chicago nursing home. A major focus of the group was on the wellness tools and strategies that people use to stay healthy and well.
One of the group’s participants, a woman who always seemed to have a pleasant attitude, made regular entries in a gratitude journal. This seemed like a great idea, but I didn’t give much thought to the value of a gratitude journal until I recently started keeping one myself.
Maintaining the journal has been a transformative experience for me in several important ways. Instead of focusing on the 1 – 2% of things that either annoy me or seem to go wrong in my life, I’m now far more aware of and attentive to the 98% of things that are actually turning out well. My apartment has hot and cold running water, the electricity rarely fails, and now that I’m on the telemarketing no call list, life isn’t too bad.
Keeping the journal has lowered my stress and, at the same time, strengthened my sense of mental and emotional well-being. And although I always felt that my temperament couldn’t be changed too much, I now feel this gentle pull to be more positive and optimistic about life.
The nursing home resident made another suggestion (for which I’m also grateful): when you’re feeling down, read your journal.
Excellent advice!
Check out Oprah’s interview here.
