Daily gratitude list
Listened to this guy on YouTube droning about gratitude. “Just three sentences a day for two weeks, and I am less bitter,” he says. Day one, his dog. Day two, that he doesn’t have cancer. Day 61, grateful for life feels good. He sleeps better. It’s like unclogging a drain. The gunk of negativity…
At the end of each week, review your entries. See if your gratitude is changing
Came to a conclusion the whole operation needs prompting, hence: “What are three positive things that happened today?” Role-playing with Nel. “Be specific. Details hit harder.” Grateful for Nel’s love of role-play. She makes me act like Voldemort or Snape, i can finally justify the dark circles under my eyes. Besides, my Snape accent is…
Continue Reading At the end of each week, review your entries. See if your gratitude is changing
Gratitude diary. Start a ritual
Sunday, 10 pm “Don’t have five? Spend a minute a day. Write one thing you’re grateful for.” “Thank yourself.” Showed up. “Missed a day? It’s okay. “Don’t stress if you miss a day. Life happens. Just pick it up the next day.” Emil is nudging my leg—probably time for his late-night stroll. Before heading out,…
They say, for gratitude practice, you can take photos, too
“Start a visual gratitude diary. Look for one object you appreciate every day. Look for the good stuff. The point is the act of noticing.” “Open your phone. Go to your photo library. Create an album. Call it ‘Gratitude’. Every day take one photo. Add the photo to ‘gratitude album’ in the library.” Called the…
Continue Reading They say, for gratitude practice, you can take photos, too
Evening gratitude meditation
“Write three ‘grateful for…’ sentences as your pre-sleep routine.” “Lie down. Close your eyes. Breathe deep. Think about the day’s best moments.” “Thinking about three things from the day makes you visualise them. Most of our day-dreaming is replaying current concerns (Klinger, 1981). Visualising unresolved problems before sleep keeps your brain in ‘fight or flight’…
Gratitude practice. Why bother?
Martha called. The conversation went on like that: – So, you’re delving into wellness trends mr. guru? – Desperate times. – Midlife crisis hitting hard? – I guess. – So what is that you doin’? – Gratitude practice. – Ha-ha. – They say gratitude is the simplest way to a better life. – Oh really?…
Gratitude journal: use prompts
“Think about people, places, moments, things.” So, lemme think about people… Oh, ran into an acquaintance. Had a five-minute chat. Shared memories of simpler times. Remained civil. Social interaction level up. “Who are you thankful for?” Emil, the dog person, obviously. “How can you show appreciation to those who support you?“ Patted Emil. He was…
Gratitude journal
“Keep a gratitude journal. Write daily entries. Build a habit. Writing these three sentences is the practice.” Last time wrote on a grocery receipt. A leather-bound fancy $40 Moleskine is too intimidating. Found an old half-written notebook with cute cats on the cover. First entry: Grateful for: A true crime book I started. (It’s about…
Gratitude is a skill
Decided to give gratitude a shot. Day one of gratitude experiment. “Write down three things you’re grateful for right now. Don’t overthink it. Just write.” 1. Hot bath. Three sentences starting with “grateful for…“ Supposed to take five minutes. “Best to put on paper. Otherwise it doesn’t exist.” How about a note on my phone?…
Walking mediation
The instruction says: Fix your eyes on the ground about 1,5 meters ahead of you. Zero in on the ground. Keep it in focus. Ground ahead goes blurry, means you’ve zonked out and daydreaming. Walk in slow motion. Breathe in slowly. One foot is going up. Inhale is up, send a message to your foot…
Journaling
“Autotherapy journal. Talk to the paper.” Save cash. Or, “mood journal. How do I feel? What’s the current state of my mind?” Tired. Everyday. “Change forms of journalling. There are many forms of journaling. Classic diary entries, a bullet journal, gratitude journal.” “Do a mix. Spend five minutes a day making notes. Write…
Reset breath
“Sit or stand comfortably. Close your eyes if you can. Inhale deeply through your nose, letting your chest and belly expand. Hold it for a couple of seconds. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat this cycle a few times.” Today the brain is a web browser with too many tabs open, one us buffering and…
Camera’s eye. Turn your eyes into camera
“Your eyes are camera. From your POV. Pan slowly across the scene in front of you.” “Frame a shot. Focus on one aspect of your surroundings. It could be a piece of furniture. Narrow your focus. Pay attention to the fine details: the texture, the subtle variations in color. Shot a carpet closeup documentary. “Capture…
Prologue
In 1881, a German named Hermann von Ebbinghaus sits down at his desk, and he’s about to start a three-year experiment—on himself. Hermann was a man of science. He was committed. He was “a philosopher” back then because psychology didn’t exist yet. You might say Herman was the first psychologist. In front of him, he’s…
