It may seem counter-intuitive, but during times when we feel under siege from workloads, angst, bad news and suffering, we need to practice gratitude. Otherwise, we are at risk of inadvertently developing a “negative cognitive bias.” In other words, we start constantly looking for what’s wrong, threatening, or negative in our environment. Without realizing it, we start screening out the good things happening in our lives, and everything seems a mess.
Extensive research shows one of the best antidotes for a negative cognitive bias is keeping a gratitude journal. This takes very little time, but the investment pays off by creating:
- Increased optimism and hope
- Less stress and catastrophizing
- More interludes of “grace” and peacefulness
- Improved sleep
- Higher frequency of healthy habits (exercise, nutrition, etc.)
The time investment here is minimal (less than 5 minutes a day). Here is how to keep a gratitude journal:
- Obtain a bound, blank journal (a notebook works too) and a pen that feels good in your hand
- Keep it by your bedside or another convenient location
- Each morning, make a single entry about something you are grateful for in your life in general
- Each evening, make a single entry about something you are grateful for that happened during that day
To quote Brené Brown, a noted psychologist:
“In 12 years of research, I have never interviewed a single person with the capacity to really experience joy who does not also actively practice gratitude.”
