A Week of Gratitude: Journaling for Self Care

It’s the week of Thanksgiving and it feels like the right time to write about gratitude. I’ve done this in the past on the Thursdays leading up to this holiday but I’m doing it differently this year. And I’m freestyling this, writing about whatever comes to mind at the time and I’m hoping some of it might be unusual. Let’s face it, I’ve covered the big (typical stuff) I’m thankful for plenty of times: Dale and the kids, my extended family, my job and my home, my health, and pets. I think it will be interesting to take a closer look at the smaller, irregular things that pop up when I think about gratitude.

Today it feels like journaling is the think to write about. I am so thankful for this practice and how it has evolved over the years. I started out with a Studio Oh deconstructed journal in 2016 and I’ve consisted journaled ever since. Oh, sure, I had dabbled in and out of the practice for my entire adult life, but it was that journal that solidified the ritual for me. I now call that my junk journal and I don’t use Studio Oh anymore but switched to an A5 Leuchtturm1917 earlier this year and I love this one.

I also keep a gratitude journal and I’ve been using Studio Oh for that since I started it over 5 years ago. However, Studio Oh no longer makes that journal and the one I’m using is almost full so I need to make a switch. I think a B6 is about the same size so I’ll be looking for a new one soon. Now, some people struggle with a gratitude journal and I get that because really, how many days in a row can you write that you are grateful for coffee (all of them, my friends, all of them) so my approach to a gratitude journal is slightly different. I write in it first thing every morning and I list 5 good things that happened the day before. It’s more like a . . . highlight reel . . . of my days and that has been very sustainable for me. It’s really interesting to go back and read through these, too.

I use a daily planner as a journal of sorts, writing down lists and creating meal plans, keeping track of meetings and appointments, using washi tape and stickers and Tombow markers to personalize all of it. This summer I started doing morning pages and I have consistently written 3 stream of consciousness pages in a Tomoe River paper notebook first thing in the morning, right after I write my gratitude list. This has resulted in a huge breakthrough in my creative process and I’ll be sharing more about that eventually. Finally, I have field notebooks, one for keeping track of the books I read and one for notes about my garden.

I’m happy to share specific products and sources for pens, journals, stickers, and more if you’re interested.

This may seem like a lot to someone who isn’t a writer, but for me it’s so natural to keep track of my life and ideas, hopes and dreams, and more by documenting them in this way. I’m grateful to have found a practice that works for productivity and also self-care. These journals help me to process my feelings, keep track of what matters, and work creatively.

And that’s why I’m grateful for journaling.