How gratitude journaling shifted my paradigm

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” - Meister Eckhart

Our minds are vulnerable. They are out on the battlefield of life, constantly warring with other human beings, getting bombarded with content from phones and laptops, and incessantly engaging in critical self-talk influenced by collective consciousness and childhood conditioning. We never know what words or deeds can hit our minds, strike them hard, and injure them for good.  

Around May 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic-induced lockdown, I discovered my mind in a delicate position. Swamped with work, I was working harder than usual - trying to prove to myself that I was a good employee, a decent consultant. Work From Home meant there were no clear lines separating office hours from personal hours; when I wasn't working, I was thinking about it. Add to that my general sense of existential crisis, my inquiries regarding my next step in my career - knowing for sure that corporate wasn't for me, and the plethora of news and missives on TV and the internet about World War 3 and doomsday. 

I began to notice that my mind was preoccupied with judgments. These judgments stemmed perhaps from my unhappiness, my dissatisfaction with myself. How they harmed? They made me concentrate on what was wrong with the world. And with what was wrong with me. I was, in a friend's words, "smelling my own farts" by forming needless opinions and intellectualizing life and being all, like, negative. 

That's when I came across Gratitude Journaling. 

I ran into 'Oliver Burkeman's last column: the eight secrets to a (fairly) fulfilled life' (check it out here).  

Under the section 'The advice you don’t want to hear is usually the advice you need', he says:

One good question to ask is what kind of practices strike you as intolerably cheesy or self-indulgent: gratitude journals, mindfulness meditation, seeing a therapist? That might mean they are worth pursuing. (I can say from personal experience that all three are worth it.)

So I embarked to develop 'an attitude of gratitude'. With a fresh new journal, a favorite pen (which is any pen that works) and a resolve. I had previous practiced gratitude journaling, but not consistently. Not when I was feeling vulnerable to negativity. Not during pandemic. 

I chose the 5 min journaling style: the 3 morning questions and 2 evening questions that focus on gratitude and intent.

1. What do you feel grateful about today?

2. What would make today a great day?

3. My Daily Affirmation

--*--

4. What were the highlights from the day?

5. How could you have made today even better?

Slowly, and steadily, I made it my habit to answer these questions. It became a delight - writing the journal the first thing in the morning, with a cup of hot black coffee, while eyes were still struggling to adjust to the light. Six months later, I dropped the coffee from the routine but not gratitude journaling. It was helping me count my blessings. It was helping me prioritise the day. It introduced me to the power of affirmation, and therefore, of reprogramming (teeny tiny parts of) my brain. 

It's been over 2 years now. I have been consistent with the practice more or less, and I don't plan to discontinue with it, ever. Ever. Investing 5 mins in the morning and 5 mins in the night I will always be able to afford. In return, I will get clarity, satisfaction and reinforcement of my chosen attitude: of gratitude and intent-oritented living. These returns compound with time. 

Try it. Install the 5 min journal by Intelligent Change on your app and make it a point to start your day with it. Better even, use a physical notebook. Create a Meditative Life notebook in which you practice not only grattidue journaling but write out your visions, dreams, goals and actions; chart out your spiritual journey; confirm your intentions. 

It will help. It most certainly will. How can it not?