[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s students, we feel the pressures of school every day. Amid this mess, we often overlook the moments we should be thankful for. This week, I endeavored to become more appreciative by writing a gratitude journal.
The idea is simple, but a gratitude journal’s benefits go beyond what meets the eye. Once a day, just like a regular diary entry, I wrote down things that I was grateful for that day. For example, on my first day, I wrote: Today, I am grateful for my mom, who made delicious spaghetti tonight.
Scientists have found gratitude journals to be useful in improving one’s quality of life. In a 2005 UC Davis study by Robert Emmons, where individuals participated in various forms of psychological therapy, those who wrote gratitude journals improved their quality of life significantly and had better outlooks on the future than those who tried other methods. A vast majority of those successful test subjects also continued their gratitude journals, knowing about the positive effect on the human psyche.
After writing my own gratitude journal, I have concluded that the results are not spectacular as studies show, but they are worth taking a look at.
Writing these journals made me look around and recognize when pleasant things happened to me. During my gratitude journal trial run, I was noticing when gratifying things happened to me more often, and in turn, I was less likely to be in a bad mood.
I noticed another advantage of my gratitude journals one late night, as I was churning away at paragraph answers to my homework questions. Having to stay up late to finish homework was stressful, but while I was doing my homework, I was reminded of all the nice things people did for me that day. Perhaps it was a side effect of doing homework late, but as my eyes stared blankly at a computer screen, I began to relive my perfect day subconsciously, and it gave me peace that another cup of hot chocolate couldn’t.
That being said, none of the benefits have been life changing. Reflecting on my day hasn’t granted me boundless wisdom, eternal youth or the meaning of life. But it has granted me a new perspective on good deeds. Good deeds should be treated with more thought, because in your darkest hours, the things that illuminate your day shine even brighter.
That’s why I strongly recommend the gratitude journal: it opens a seam in your subconscious door which allows the light that is other’s good actions to brighten your life.
TCHS School Newspaper