Back in November I participated in a month long gratitude challenge. Each day prompted a reflection on the gratitude felt regarding a particular aspect of life. Some were pretty standard (person, place, experience, keepsake); others were a little odd (scent, disappointment/fear, store). Each day during the month I spent a little bit of time ruminating on something for which I truly felt grateful in the specified category and shared it in a Facebook post. Although I decided to do it because I was in a place where I wanted to cultivate gratitude and optimism, it was not exactly easy those first few days. In the beginning I felt a little bit corny and pretty self-conscious about participating in this and doing so in such a public way, but as the month progressed I started looking forward to that invitation to think about being thankful and to write about it.
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| I'm always grateful for this adorkable doggy. |
Crafting those updates started to spark consistent feelings of contentment in ways that I hadn't experienced in some time. Since the project ended, I've noticed that I've not felt as content as those habits of mind and emotion have slipped away a little bit each day. This jives with some of the things of read recently in some magazines and blogs about psychology and heard in conversations with counselors and psychologists about the ways conscious positive thinking can make us healthier and happier. To be honest, I have a deep pessimistic streak, and it has become more pronounced in some ways over the past couple of years. If I want to live a more open-hearted life, which I do in spite of it not being my default mode, I will need to work on becoming more comfortable with emotional discomfort so that I don't immediately react with avoidance or cynicism when things don't go the way I want in some situations that I find myself in regularly. I also need to be more conscious about reminding myself to be patient with myself and others and to establish some habits and routines that promote self-care, contentment, thankfulness, and optimism.
To that end, I'm trying to make some structural changes to certain aspects of my schedule in the new year and the new semester. I'm going to schedule a brief time for journaling and meditation on a daily basis. I'll be doing more outdoor and group running this winter than I've done in the past (more on that soon). I'm trying to schedule a weekly cross-training date with one friend and a weekly yoga class with another. And I'll be looking to continue to incorporate some more prompted/scripted gratitude projects into my routines in the near future.
Have you ever deliberately cultivated a practice of gratitude? What is something that inspires feelings of gratitude in you?
When I lived in Charlotte, a friend sent me a 'sentence a day' journal and challenged me to find one positive thing to write down about each day. I did a so so job of keeping up with this habit so when I stumbled upon the journal last December, I decided to challenge myself to write something down every day and I've succeeded in sticking to that goal. I usually write about something positive or enjoyable that I did that day. I think it will be fun to look back at! It's a 5-year journal and I want to really try to stick to this habit for the next 3 years!
ReplyDeleteSometimes that inspires feelings of gratitude in me is being able to run. When I had my stress fracture and got diagnosed with RA in 2013, I was unable to run for about 9 months. Since then I complain far less about running (or really not at all) as I have come to realize that I'm lucky to be able to run!
You are right that we are lucky to be able to run!
DeleteI think that it is hard to focus on the good and not dwell on the negative. I have a friend who, although she is spunky and likes to get out and do active things, she tends to have a lot of negative things to say and I always try to not get into that rut, because it is easy to jump on that wagon and start badmouthing people and getting down on yourself.
ReplyDeleteI tried to do a "sentence a day" journal, but I am not good at keeping up with it. I just try not to let other people's negativity get me down and to realize and remember the good things in my life as often as I can!
I downloaded the Gratitude app on my phone the other day, and it challenges you to find 5 things that make you happy/feel gratitude each day and to record them. Because I already use my phone for so many other things (texting, WW, playing Scrabble) I think it will be easier to keep up with than a paper journal -- though I always like them in theory.
Deletei have a similarly pessimistic streak, but I do seem to be able to tap into a sense of plenitude and even wonder, if I cultivate it. i think a conscious approach like your 30-day gratitude program is a great way to do this, especially in an academic life that tends to emphasize the next goal rather than allow much time for looking around and being grateful, appreciating what we already have and have done.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about the way that there are a lot of forces in academia that push you to always feel like you need to keep working toward a next research goal or to pick up major service tasks or both.
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