The Great Impact of Gratitude

March 23 2014

I read a great article on Quit the Cubicle last week about gratitude. It reminded me how powerful a gratitude journal can be in managing stress, acknowledging achievements/what’s going well and appreciating the small things in life!

In my world, even gratitude is a shopportunity* so I got to hunting for an appropriate medium to recommence my gratitude journaling! And I found some sublime finds! Which of course, must be shared with you, my lovely sublime seekers!

Back it up – what’s this gratitude journal business? 

A gratitude journal is a place to record the things for which you’re grateful, every day. It only needs to be a few short sentences!

What’s the point?

I’m so glad you asked! Studies have shown that we can deliberately cultivate gratitude, and increase our happiness and well being in doing so! Even better, grateful thinking (especially the expression of it to others) is associated with increased levels of energy, optimism, and empathy!

Thankful people are happy

Sounds like all the benefits of exercise without exercise! Show me the finds! 

Of course, you can write your gratitude down anywhere, you don’t need a specially designed book. But! If you LIKE those sorts of things, you’ll love these!

As you might expect, Kikki-K have some beautiful products:

Gratitude Journal - Kikki-K Gratitude Journal 2 - Kikki K Gratitude Journal 3 - Kikki K
Gratitude Journal (in kikki.K’s Inspire collection), $39.95. It’s got some lovely, thought provoking activities included too!

Thankful Journal - Kikki K Thankful Journal 2 - Kikki K Thankful Journal 3 - Kikki K
Thankful Journal (kikki.K’s Uppsala collection) $16.95. This ones a bit smaller than the first, but has these lovely cards in the back you can fill out and tear out to share your gratitude with others!

Gratitude Journal - Things I am Grateful Iloveitall
Iloveitall on Etsy has created a gorgeous handmade journal! She’s selling them for April-December 2014 for $35 USDs and has very awesome reviews! Ships quick, worldwide!

I decided to go for an app so I can take it everywhere and add to it when I’ve got some downtime! There’s lots of apps out there as you might expect, here’s the one I chose:

Gratitude 365 App 1 Gratitude 365 App 2 Gratitude 365 App 3

It’s the 356 Journal app for $1.99. I love it’s clean design and the way you can attach a picture which pops up in the list and calendar views! It’s super easy to use and you can add a passcode if you like.

Another option is creating a gratitude jar! The concept works exactly the same way, but instead of storing the things you’re thankful for in your journal or phone, you write them on a bit of paper and put them in the jar! A great way to share gratitude in your household is by creating a communal gratitude jar! Check out this one:

Gratitude Jar from getawaytodaydotcom

Jennifer from Get Away Today has shared her all the goss to DIY!

However you do it, there’s real benefit in taking time to give thanks. In the spirit of sharing, here’s my list for yesterday! I’m grateful for: 

  • the very lovely Archie Boo, who despite me coming home every day for nearly two years, still cries with excitement when I do
  • the kind lady at the dry cleaners, who made me feel good despite me abandoning my dry cleaning there for two months! “We’ve got some stuff we’ve had here for two years!”
  • technology that enables me to stay close to my friends, even when we can’t be together (I’m looking at you, Viber)
  • the park I got at Westfield this morning, which was so good that I was immediately excited for the person who would get it when I was leaving and be equally thrilled by it’s excellent proximity to both the entry to the shops and the exit to the carpark! (I saw the look on her face when I was reversing, it was everything I hoped for and more!)
  • this particularly sparkly pair of shoes, which brightened my day immensely (even if they did leave me with a blister on their maiden voyage!)

NineWest Sparkle Loafer - Sublime Finds

Get gratitudin’, sublime seekers! You’ll feel all the better for it!

♥AS

* this is a little joke! I’m being ironic. Kind of. Meanwhile, isn’t shopportunity a fun word!?

What are you grateful for? Share with us below! 

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