Gratitude Journaling: Good for My Soul
Actively being grateful for all that I am and have, even (especially?!) in seasons when something is lacking in my life or myself, is a practice that has brought me interior peace and closeness to God. Since I was a teen, I have almost always kept a spiritual journal of some sort. In my adult years, the uniquely written book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp got me journaling one thousand specific things I was grateful for when I was in a darker season.
More recently, I gratitude journal to help myself recognize all the good in something or someone that is currently causing me frustration or stress. That thing or person gets their own list that I fill with all those things that are good about them, things that far outweigh my temporary annoyance with them. This is particularly helpful for staying outwardly pleasant with difficult children, especially in summer. 😂 LOL.
It is a practice that can easily be embraced at night when reviewing the day or doing what's called an Examen in the Catholic tradition. It could be as simple as thinking about the blessings of the day, the good I have done, and how I can grow in virtue tomorrow. I find it very helpful to write the blessings down and see that tangible, personal list in my own handwriting.
Gratitude doesn't have to be written down in words, though. It could even be catalogued in images on-line via Insta or Facebook. I, however, find it satisfying to my interior life for it to be more personal or only privately shared as a gift. Each of our kiddos has a Birthday Book (ok, the "Baby"/Toddler doesn't actually have one yet-2020 goal) where I fill one page a year with a photo and memories from their birthday. And I've started a Father's Day Book for my husband with an annual photo of him with the kids (not always snapped on Father's Day because I'm just not that organized). These are books that I like to think we all enjoy already but the kids will especially, once they've moved out, or my husband will in a special way, once the kids are all grown.
What, if anything, does this have to do with fertility awareness? Fertility awareness based methods of family planning and child spacing start with gratitude for the gift of fertility as it was created and work with that gift as it was designed. In my fertility journey, as well as in life, gratitude makes all the difference in my response to reality. Actually, gratitude and grace make all the difference. Learning to be receptive to and ask for grace is more a habit of being. Practicing gratitude is a habit I can actively work at. Regardless, positive thought processes, especially active gratitude is proven to fight those emotional lows we all experience and even depression. My psychiatrist husband "prescribes" it to patients. I invite you to try it the next time you feel frustrated with life or any challenges with your menstrual cycle and fertility. Let me know how it goes.