Gratitude & Affirmation Challenge

Grat·i·tude:

 The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

As a part of my 30-day life coaching plan, I have been tasked with creating a gratitude journal. This was something I was excited to start back up because I participated in a 30-day gratitude challenge last year and it was truly life changing. If you suffer from anxiety or depression I would HIGHLY recommend this exercise for you. 

Having depression and anxiety causes me to think about the negative or what could go wrong 99.9% of the time. Writing it out can help bring things into perspective.  This exercise helps keep my depression and anxiety at bay because I see in writing that hey my life is not so bad even when I’m feeling like the exact opposite. 

Being grateful is a practice a lot of us take for granted. Its amazing how taking a few minutes out of your day to reflect on everything you have to be grateful for can change your attitude. If you do it long enough, your perspective of life can be and should be changed. There are numerous proven benefits to starting and keeping a gratitude journal including: 

1. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships.

2. Gratitude improves physical health

3. Gratitude improves psychological health.

4. Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression.

5. Grateful people sleep better.

6. Gratitude improves self-esteem.

7. Gratitude increases mental strength.

Source* Forbes

I prefer to log in my journal in the morning because I think its a great way to start your day! Some highlights from my journal last week were: 

•  I am grateful I have an understanding and accommodating job. -Because I legit thought I was off on MLK day but guess what? I wasn’t! At any other job I held previously that would have been a no call no show. Fortunately, where I am now its not a big deal because my job knows that life happens. My anxiety and I greatly appreciate working here!

• I am grateful for benefits. I am so very thankful that when I stay home voluntarily or on accident (like on MLK day) that due to vacation and sick time I can still be compensated. I know some middle-class families that cannot afford time off even if they are sick simply because they cannot take the loss in income. After all, if you don’t work, you don’t eat, and for those without paid time off benefits, they live by those words. 
• I am grateful for reliable transportation in the winter time.– Seriously I cannot imagine taking the bus during the winter time. I did it before I had a car and it makes me appreciate having a car that much more! 
• I am grateful for multiple sources of income.- I picked up a part time job and even though I’m exhausted working extra hours my savings will thank me later. 
• I am grateful for my supportive boyfriend- I could say I was going to drop out of life and go be a Mime and he’d tell me I’d be the best damn Mime there is! If I need something he makes sure I get it. He’s truly a gem. 
• I am grateful for friends who believe in me and support my dreams. 
• I am grateful for friends who I can depend on. -Thank you Kennetra! 

So we’ve covered gratitude, basically be happy and appreciate the shit you already have. 

 Simple enough right? Right. 

Moving on……..

Af·firm·a·tion

1. the action or process of affirming something or being affirmed.
2. emotional support or encouragement.

When you practice gratitude you’re appreciating or being thankful for the things you already have. When you do affirmations you’re trying to speak things into your life. The best way to describe what affirmations are, and what they are used for is essentially that  age old saying “you think, and therefore you are.” 

I love doing affirmations and a gratitude log because its my way of saying I appreciate what I have now, but I also know what I want. Positive affirmations can re-program your thinking if this is an exercise you stick with. Some benefits to writing down affirmations are: 

1. You become aware of your daily thoughts and words, reducing the risk of letting negativity seep in.
2. You notice more synchronicities in your life, which serves to encourage and motivate you to keep up the practice.  
3. Daily affirmations not only help keep you surrounded by the things you want in your life but they help bring about more blessings and gifts.
4. A daily practice helps to keep the small things in perspective. In this high-speed world, you can easily lose sight of how large the small things really are. When healthy you may forget to think of how much you appreciate it. A simple morning affirmation sentence of “I am healthy” can go a long way.
5. A recent study shows that optimistic people have healthier hearts, and affirmations help you to stay positive.
6. As you continue this practice, others take note and you begin to help those around you without even trying. This, in turn, helps keep you focused.
7. Daily affirmations keep you in a constant state of gratitude.

Source* Chopra

Some examples of great affirmations are: 

• I forgive myself for not being perfect because I know I’m human.
• I have control over my thoughts, feelings, and choices.
• I love and approve of myself.
• I trust myself to make the best decision for me.
• I surround myself with people who treat me well.
• All my problems have a solution.
• I have no right to compare myself to anyone for I do not know their whole story.
• My body is healthy; my mind is brilliant; my soul is tranquil.
• I am superior to negative thoughts and low actions.
• I forgive those who have harmed me in my past and peacefully detach from them.
• My business is growing, expanding, and thriving.
• Happiness is a choice. I base my happiness on my own accomplishments and the blessings I’ve been given.
• My savings is increasing and my debt is decreasing. 
• My obstacles are moving out of my way; my path is carved towards greatness.

So just to recap: 

Gratitude: appreciating and focusing on blessings already present. 

Affirmations:  things you would like to see manifest in your life. 

Challenge:  

I challenge you to commit to a gratitude and affirmation journal for 7 days straight. Come back and let me know what you think! 

Page from my 2016 gratitude journal. 

Id love to hear from you!

Like, comment, subscribe, and follow me on social media!

Facebook: Cherise Floyd

Instagram: Nsorommaa_

Snapchat: CheriseAndrea

Thanks for stopping by!

With love,

Cherise