It is easy to get bogged down in our world- it seems like we are surrounded by violence, inequity, anger… you get the picture. I do not want to ignore any of these problems. It is important to me to help where and when I can, and to try to have a positive impact on the people around me. Sometimes that means engaging in activities, like protests, that bring to the forefront of my mind, all of the problems that surround me. Even on days when there is nothing significant happening in my environment, I see the news, I hear from friends and family who are dealing with illness, and financial problems, and disagreements with other loved ones. I know that I am not the only one who can feel hopeless in the face of frequent and often significant negativity.
One thing that I am trying to do every day to combat this negativity is gratitude journaling. Every day I remind myself of the good things. The family that I am lucky enough to have and to love, the job that provides me with the resources to live a relatively comfortable life, my health. Doing this every day helps me look at the world with a more positive mindset and I truly think that it helps me manage stress. I also think that it helps me notice more of the positive things that surround me and, because I believe that energy draws in similar energy, I think it improves my life.
I have created a pdf of the page I made for my daily planner (I love my planner!). Every day I start by remembering the good things in my life and writing at least some of it down. I think about my beautiful children or my wonderful husband, or the home we live in. This helps me remember the miracles that surround all of us- blooming flowers in the spring, the sun coming up every single day, all of the books I have to read! It is hard to be hopeless when I remember all of this!
Seasons of Delight 