Life isn’t normal right now, and that is totally OK.

We are living in unprecedented times as our communities fight COVID-19. For many of us this will mean spending time distancing ourselves from our friends and loved ones, working from home and perhaps only leaving our homes once a day for exercise. This is a huge challenge for most people. Humans thrive in communities and connection is one of the most basic needs, without it we can find ourselves feeling out of sorts. Coupled with high levels of uncertainty and instability it’s not a surprise that none of us are really feeling our best during this tricky time.

Although nothing is going to help you feel 100% normal right now (because we are in far from normal times), there are some little things you can do to look after your wellbeing in these difficult circumstances, and one of those things in journalling.

Why Journalling

Journalling is great because its quick and easy, it doesn’t require any fancy tools and it can quickly become something really enjoyable that has an amazing impact on your life. Plus it is totally free and free is always worth taking a risk on and trying. You never know, it might change your life!

The only tricky thing about journaling is that it can be tricky to know where to start. How do you begin to know what to write about? Do you just spill the contents of your brain on to the page? Or do you list what you did that day? How do you do it without feeling a bit pretentious? Honestly, there’s no right or wrong way to journal, it’s all about whatever works for you, but personally I find it helpful to centre my journalling around gratitude.

Gratitude

I’ve written a lot about practicing gratitude and that’s because gratitude is a tool that is proven to enhance your wellbeing.

In a 2003 study Emmons & McCullough identified that people who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis felt better about their lives as a whole in comparison to people who tracked hassles or even simple life events. Thinking about it this makes perfect sense, generally you’re less likely to feel down if you focus on the good things that have happened to you than if you’re dwelling on what went wrong. That’s not all, according to Emmons & McCullough people who practice gratitude were more likely to make progress towards their goals over a two month period, and in young adults a daily gratitude practice resulted in increased reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy.

Of course, practicing gratitude has it’s own challenges because, like journalling, it can be difficult to know where to start! How do you begin to think of what to be grateful for?! Do you go big ticket and give thanks for being alive, or can you be grateful for the cup of tea your colleague made you? Well, first up there is no right or wrong way to practice gratitude, you can be grateful for whatever the hell you want to be grateful for, what’s important is that you’re building the habit.

Building Habits

Forming habits is not easy, especially if you’re not quite sure where to start with something new. When you don’t know how to start something you can be more inclined to doubt yourself, and that means you’re less likely to keep it up and form a habit. It also takes time and focus, and while we might have a bit more time on our hands these days we don’t necessarily have energy when life feels overwhelming (I don’t know about you, but living through a global pandemic feels pretty overwhelming).

The Social Distancing Journal

One thing that can be really helpful in these situations is having a little support. You know, a little something to get you started, which is why I’ve put together ‘The Social Distancing Journal’ a brand new FREE workbook that guides you through seven days of gratitude and action designed to help you through this difficult time.

Each day you'll be asked to reflect on a different prompt that will encourage you to view your life through the lens of gratitude. There are always things to be grateful for, and hopefully these prompts will help you find them even in these challenging circumstances. Each day I’ll also suggest little things you can do easily and from your own home that are intended to help you feel uplifted and connected. These little actions will be connected to whatever gratitude prompt is for that day.

I hope you find this journal helpful at this very difficult time and that the prompts and actions I suggest really enhance your life and wellbeing. Please stay safe and look after each other.