StarVista’s Development and Marketing Team participate in a 7-Day Gratitude Journal Challenge!
In the spirit of gratitude this month, our Development and Marketing team challenged themselves to try journaling as a method of cultivating gratitude. For 7 days, each team member took a moment of their day to write down what they are grateful for in their journals.
What is Gratitude? Gratitude is the feeling or quality of being grateful; it is an emotion that expresses appreciation for what one has and returning kindness.
With the challenges everyone is facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding positivity or gratitude can be difficult at times. A gratitude journal can aid in cultivating gratitude and improving mental wellness. This tip is from one of our clinicians in our previous gratitude blog post.
Our Development and Marketing team share their experience using a gratitude journal, and if they would recommend it to others.
Overall Thoughts:
“I have kept a positivity/gratitude journal in the past and it’s helped me get through some really difficult times. This week, making a concerted effort to think about a few positive things each day and reflect on why I’m grateful, I was reminded of the power of this practice. It really does shift something in you if you keep at it.” -Amanda, Development Manager
“Practicing gratitude is already in my daily routine, but I rarely journal about it. My days can get pretty hectic, so I would journal in the moment versus waiting till a specific time of day to do it. At the end of the challenge, it was great being able to “see” the amount of gratitude I had for many things, both big and small.” -Audrey, Marketing Associate
“With how much is going on in my life, I’ve realized I spend most of my time “fighting fires” and forget to pause to celebrate the things I’m grateful for. It was nice to get in a routine of gratitude journaling at the end of the day right before bed when my mind would normally still be buzzing from the day. I also really liked looking back through my responses after the week was over and think it could be fun to have a whole notebook of gratitudes to reflect on during the times where I could use a pick-me-up.” -Lauren, Grant Writer
“I’ve always wanted to keep a consistent journal, so this exercise showed me it’s actually not hard to do. It also showed me how many opportunities I have to be grateful for. I realized how much I appreciate those around me, and even their little actions can mean a lot to me. It was cool to see how I was feeling each day and take a moment to just focus on what’s going on around me.” -Yuki, Development Associate
Did you see an improvement in your overall mental wellness?
“Although I do keep a gratitude journal regularly, I took time to read back the last week, and the extra attention and focus on it this week and the closeness to Thanksgiving made it special.” -Lea, Director of Fund Development & Marketing
“This process was really beneficial and helped to highlight the positive things in my life. I think that you have to be very intentional when filling in this journal and build it into your schedule. It helped my mental wellness, but I think I would need to do it for longer and more consistently to see a bigger impact.” -Payton, Grant Writer
“Although I have always wanted to start journaling, I always found it hard to find the motivation to begin. But I found that by setting a time to do it every day, I am able to stick to and commit to writing every day. Once I began writing, the stream of consciousness that flowed out of my brain and transferred into writing was incredible. I also felt like I was able to develop some of the thoughts that I wasn’t able to dedicate time to think about throughout my day to day. With this, I was able to evolve some of my thoughts into other ideas and then tangible plans. Your mind is such a powerful thing and in today’s world, we don’t usually get the time to play around with it because there are a bazillion distractions that rob our attention.” -Zainab, Community Engagement Coordinator
Did this help you cultivate gratitude for the things in your life?
“Absolutely. Consciously acknowledging the things we take for granted, or just forget are there supporting and connecting us to others, is humbling and fulfilling.” -Amanda, Development Manager
“Yes. This helped cultivate gratitude for the things in my life. As I was writing my entries, I noticed that I would continue to add more detail about the thing/person/etc that I hadn’t even thought of before. The detail really helped me realize how much I really have to be thankful for!” -Payton, Grant Writer
“Definitely. It gave me the opportunity to understand how much I appreciate the people around me and what I have to be grateful for. I caught myself recording small moments of gratitude in my journal, like getting a new couch, that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought I would be thankful for.” -Yuki, Development Associate
Would you recommend this to others?
“I would say give it a try and see if it works for you.” – Audrey, Marketing Associate
“Definitely. I think with something like this, it’s just about finding the way that works for you so that it doesn’t feel like “too much” or that you’re “doing it wrong”. It could be just jotting down one thing you’re grateful for each day, or spending 10 minutes each night exploring all of the things you are grateful for, or even just jotting them down whenever you think of them without any sort of schedule — no rules or have-to’s, just gratitude.” -Lauren, Grant Writer
“Absolutely, especially if you are a parent, it’s never too early to start teaching your kids to make time for daily gratitude and reflections.” – Lea, Director of Fund Development & Marketing
“100% It may not be for everyone, but if you are an overthinker like me, I think it is a great way to ground yourself. It’s almost like a form of meditation or therapy with yourself. You don’t have to worry about anyone judging you because it is only for you. Tip: I prefer to do it on paper rather than typing.” -Zainab, Community Engagement Coordinator