Showing posts with label Self-Care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Self-Care. Show all posts

Monday 6 June 2022

How Loving Your Life Makes Everything Better


The key to making your life work the way you want it lies in the power of your thoughts and emotions. Combined, they help create your reality.

 

This means that when you choose to be positive and love your life, it’ll love you right back. Deciding to be happy makes you better at handling challenging situations. It helps you build inner strength, resilience, and a sense of inner peace.

 

We rounded up five ways to show how loving your life makes everything better. Take a look.

 

You Feel More Authentic

 

When you start loving your life, you feel this calm flowing around you. Gone are the days of being anxious and on edge because you lived on someone else’s terms.

 

People who live their life this way enjoy more freedom and empowerment than they’ve ever felt before. The reason?

 

They’re doing the things that allow them to find their authentic self. It’s also knowing the little things that bring joy to your everyday life. This can be as simple as taking a few minutes each day to read a book or do some mindfulness meditation.

 

It can also be more substantial, like volunteering or learning a new language. Whatever it is, make sure it makes you love life and brings out your true self.

 

You Stop Pleasing People

 

One of the things that can quickly rid your life of happiness is trying to be a people-pleaser. Whether it’s your partner, friend, or loved ones, trying to please everyone is taxing and takes its toll on our physical and mental health.

 

We sometimes get so used to pleasing others that we even do it with random strangers!

 

It may sound like a good thing from the outside. But it prevents us from being our true selves because we’re always worried about what others think about us.

 

Yet, this doesn’t mean you take other people for granted or don’t consider what they have to say. But it’s all about finding the right balance. Just make sure you don’t sacrifice your peace of mind for the sake of theirs.

 

You’re Content with the ‘Right Now’

 

If you’re not happy with your present moment, then nothing will ever be good enough for you. You probably think that buying that big house or shiny car is enough to make you happy and satisfied. But that’s just seeing the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

 

Then, when you finally end up on the other side, you’re not as happy as you thought you’d be. Because you haven't perfected the fine art of fulfillment, you’ll soon find things that are wrong with that as well.

 

Instead, you have to take actionable steps toward appreciating your present just as it is. That’s the first step in loving your life.

 

Sure, it’s okay to dream and set goals, and work hard to achieve them. But just always be grateful for what you have today.

 

You Get Better At Handling Life’s Curveballs

 

Many of us don’t like change. It makes us anxious, afraid, and in a state of panic.

Yet, one of life’s constants is change. It’s an inevitable part of life as we know it.

 

So, we have to live with the fact that there will always be changes in our lives. One way we can accept this fact is by embracing change and seeing it as a good thing.

 

Not all change is bad. Some of it brings exciting events into our lives and gets us to meet new people that become lifelong friends.

 

Still, we’d be remiss not to mention that there will be changes that you don’t like. Life doesn’t always go your way. But, instead of freaking out, take this opportunity to learn and grow from it.

 

You Realize That Perfection Is Overrated

 

No one is, nor ever will be, perfect, not even those airbrushed models. Yet, sometimes, it’s easy to let yourself go down the path of doubting yourself. Questioning yourself and your choices is normal, but it should never go as far as to make you doubt your self-worth.

 

So, the first step is to stop comparing yourself to others. Once you learn how to do that, you can stop striving for perfection.

 

You’ll look at your life in a whole new way, and you learn how to embrace your mistakes, imperfections, and all. In fact, it’s these imperfect moments that help you grow and learn.

 


Stop Chasing Happiness, Find Fulfillment Instead


From an early age, we’re led to believe that nothing is more satisfying than finding happiness. But happiness is so elusive and intangible.

 

Plus, happiness is different for everyone, so how do you know when you find it? And is there something out there that can make you feel even better than happiness?

 

Yes! It’s called having a sense of fulfillment. Yet, what is that exactly, and how do you get it? That’s what we’re here today to find out.

 

So, keep reading to learn how you can stop chasing happiness to find fulfillment instead.

 

Happiness vs. Fulfillment

 

Take a look at this quick overview of happiness vs. fulfillment.

 

Happiness

 

Happiness includes feelings like contentment, excitement, and joy. But they’re all temporary.

 

Sure, it feels nice while it lasts, but other emotions take over, like anger, fear, and anxiety.

 

The trap many of us fall into is that we believe we’ll reach our point of happiness when we achieve certain things in our lives.

 

We say things like, “If I buy that shiny, red car, I’ll be happy.” or “Once I have my own house, I’ll finally be happy.”

 

Of course, you’ll be happy! But that happiness can only last so much. After that, reality sets in, especially when the bills start coming in.

 

Another problem with happiness is that we often view it in terms of other people. So we compare our lives to theirs, which is never a good idea.

 

No one knows what’s going on in other people's lives. So it’s not fair to compare only the good parts. It sends you on a loop of perpetual disappointment. The only person you should compare yourself to is you.

 

Fulfillment

 

When you pursue the things that really matter to you, you bring fulfillment into your life. Fulfillment is when you take actionable steps towards the things you value. Part of it is also achieving goals that were set up based on these core values.

 

Living your life with a consistent set of values allows you to have integrity towards who you truly are. It also allows you more control over your emotions and thoughts.

 

This makes it possible to bring the locus of control inward. Thus, you feel stronger and more empowered.

 

The bottom line is that happiness is dependent on external factors. Many of these factors are material and likely to change at any moment.

 

Fulfillment, on the other hand, is internally driven. You’re the one who determines what means more to you, and then by going after it, you elevate the levels of fulfillment in your life.

 

How To Find Fulfillment

 

You can find fulfillment in many ways. But you have to choose to see it in every experience and situation in your life, especially those that don’t go your way.

 

It sounds more challenging than it really is, but it’s actually relatively easy once you know what you’re doing. And it’s way more rewarding and empowering than chasing the ever-fleeting feeling of happiness.

 

Here are some ways to find fulfillment and bring meaning to your life.

 

Know Thyself

 

The great philosopher, Socrates, said, “Know Thyself” to encourage his students to look inward when searching for the meaning of life. So then, when you know your true nature, you can find fulfillment because you know your true self-worth.

 

You can do that by thinking of a moment when you felt most fulfilled. What about that specific event made you feel this way?

 

The more you know about yourself, the more fulfillment you’ll find in life. Remember, fulfillment isn’t about having a nice house or the latest fashion. It’s much deeper than that and much more nuanced.

 

It just takes a bit of soul searching.

 

Help Others

 

Helping others is one of the best ways to fill your life with fulfillment. You feel good by volunteering your time or money to help someone in need.

 

The science behind it is that helping others boosts the release of ‘feel-good’ chemicals in our brains. Some of these include hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin.

 

So, whether you’re helping a friend move or helping out at a local soup kitchen, you’re bringing joy and ease into other people’s lives. Not only that, but you’re also making yourself feel more fulfilled.

 

Create Connections

 

Surrounding yourself with a healthy, supportive social circle allows you to feel connected to something. In addition, being part of something fosters a sense of fulfillment in your life.

 

You have people you can talk to anytime you feel sad or stressed out. Consequently, you don’t suffer from any feelings of isolation, disconnection, or separation.

 

Be Grateful

 

Having a sense of gratitude can help you see the purpose in life and feel like you’re connected to a greater good. Gratitude also boosts your overall health and encourages positive emotions, which can come in handy when you’re going through a tough time.

 

It also motivates you to strive for more. Yet, when there’s a setback, you focus more on what you have and what you’ve accomplished rather than wallowing in your losses.

 

Being thankful each day can help you overcome difficult times and give you the support you need to get back up and keep trying to reach your potential.

 

Keep in mind that if you’re not okay with what you don’t have, you’ll never appreciate what you do have.



Sunday 5 June 2022

The Power Of Mindfulness Meditation And A Creative Journal


As you head in to each of your creative sessions you need to have done everything that you can to put yourself in the right state of mind for what is to come. If you do not do this then you will find that your session is a real struggle and you may not come up with any creative ideas at all.

 

In order to overcome this, there are two things that you can do prior to your creative sessions to provide you with the best chance of being rally creative and to come up with the results that you desire. These things are mindfulness meditation and the maintaining of a creative journal.

 

You Need a Clear Mind

 

If you go in to your creative session with your mind full of the clutter of the day then you are not going to get the best out of it. Things happen to us during the day which are best left behind when you are trying to be creative.

 

When you mind is full of other thoughts it is going to be tough to find the necessary brain power to generate creative ideas. You need to clear this mind clutter so that you can focus on coming up with innovative solutions. A great way to clear your mind is to be in the present and forget about the past and the future.

 

Learn and Practice Mindfulness Meditation

 

A lot of people are aware that mindfulness meditation is a great way to clear your mind and ground yourself in the present moment. But they do not practice it because they believe that it is too difficult to do.

 

Mindfulness meditation is a lot easier than you probably think. People all around the world are now using this for a few minutes each day to clear their heads and prepare themselves to be in a calmer and more relaxed state.

 

There are plenty of resources online that will explain what mindfulness meditation is, what it does and how you can learn it. You will find a lot of helpful videos on YouTube that will show you how to practice mindfulness meditation. Don’t make excuses, just learn how to do it and practice regularly.

 

Practice mindfulness meditation before every creative session. You only need to spend a few minutes doing this. It really is effective in clearing your mind and grounding you in the here and now. This is exactly where you want to be for your creative session.

 

The Creative Journal

 

If you are not using a journal right now for recording your thoughts, your goals and the actions that you need to take every day to achieve your goals then you need to start one right now. You do not need a fancy leather-bound journal – just use an ordinary note pad.

 

As you develop your creativity you are going to come up with a lot of creative thoughts. It is vital that you pay attention to these thoughts so you need to keep a record of them so that you can evaluate them properly.

 

When you record all of your creative thoughts in your journal you will be able to reflect on these to see how much progress you have made in the development of your creativity. This is great way to motivate yourself and keep going.



3 Ways to Get Clear on Why You Care So Much


One way to learn to stop caring so much about irrelevant issues and thoughts of others is to dig in deep and study yourself in a new way to get to the bottom of the reasons you care so much. 

 

Three ways help you get clear on why you care so much that you can use.

 

Journaling 

 

You can use your computer, buy a specialized journal, or you can simply use a notebook you have created to journal. It's up to you what type of system you use and whether it's modern or analog. 

 

The important part is that you try to use your journal to express your thoughts, emotions, and stream of consciousness about a problem you're trying to solve or a feeling you're trying to explore without judgment or censoring. 

 

Write in your journal every day when you're trying to understand why you care so much. You may end up discovering your life purpose or a new reason for getting up each day that you had not realized before. 

 

Meditation 

 

Before you use your journal, it can help to clear your mind using meditation. Meditation practice is all about not thinking and not judging your thoughts or feelings even as they still happen during the meditation. 

 

Each time you meditate, you can have a purpose of self-discovery or have a goal to clear your mind and relax. To practice this type of meditation, you'll want to find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lay down. Then concentrate on your goals for the meditation, close your eyes, and start focusing on your breathing. 

 

Think about the situation you're trying to understand for a moment, then clear your mind. If any intrusive thoughts come in, brush them aside by refocusing on your breathing. You mustn't allow any outside information or sensation to distract you during this time. 

 

Therapy 

 

These days you're so fortunate because you can get psychological therapy from the comfort of your home using your computer or smartphone. Numerous companies offer this service and varying price points, but you can expect to pay $60 or more per hour to get therapy. In addition, many insurance companies include several sessions as part of your benefits.

 

If you seek therapy, make sure you find someone experienced working with you on overcoming people-pleasing and putting yourself last in life. Remember, your wants and needs matter too. Most therapists can guide you through the self-discovery process to finally know what you want and feel good about it regardless of the reactions from other people. 

 

Any or all three of these methods help you become crystal clear regarding your motivations to seek approval from others and even help you stop doing it. Remember, what you want from life is important too, and following someone else's dreams will never get you what you want and need to feel successful and, more importantly, satisfied and content in your life. 

 


How Caring Less Reduces Your Stress and Improves Health


Living with stress can lead to poor health and is a large contributing factor in heart disease, asthma, obesity, gastrointestinal problems, and other physical health problems. In addition, stress increases your chance of experiencing depression, anxiety, and even Alzheimer's disease – not to mention premature death. 

 

Training yourself to care less and stop seeking approval for your life will help reduce these problems exponentially. 

 

If you often feel stressed out or worried about what others think or believe when you differ from them, it may be due to having low self-esteem, or it may simply be due to not developing the knowledge or confidence to speak with authority about your goals and objectives without second-guessing yourself or hiding from those who disagree with you like your mom, mother-in-law, boss, or community leader. 


Stress Is a Biological Response 

 

Many people think of stress as being "just a feeling," but the truth is, the feeling is a symptom of a bigger response your body produces in the form of hormone releases like cortisol and adrenaline. When your body releases these chemicals, your entire body responds physically, not just mentally.

 

Your blood pressure rises, your heart beats harder and faster, and even your breath may come in smaller, more rapid gasps. Unfortunately, these physiological changes can lead to, over time, many serious health problems. For this reason, learning how to care less to the point your body also cares less will improve your health. 


Manage Stress with The Right Tools 

 

Now that you realize that stress is more than a feeling, you can manage your stress with the right tools. For example, learning to focus your breathing, using guided imagery, journaling, and meditating mindfully helps you find the root cause of your stress, which is often simply caring too much about what other people think. 

 

Using these tools can help you focus on what matters most while putting in perspective your own thoughts and feelings on the subject instead of just someone else's. When you learn to mind your own business while desensitizing yourself from the triggers that make you feel stressed, you'll amazingly stop overthinking and make better choices based on your own life goals and your personal principles, morals, and values. 

 

If decision-making gives you stress due to your worry about what others think or believing that others are mad at you all the time, or generally not considering what you yourself think about a situation – the added stress can literally make you sick in a physical way. 

 

Identify the cause of your stress and mitigate for it by educating yourself enough to give you confidence about your ideas and opinions, so much so that you'll stop second-guessing yourself when you find out what they think. Learn how to focus on the moment more so that you're mindful at all times of what you really think and feel instead of what others think and feel. After all, your honesty cannot read anyone else's mind, so most of what you think about how they feel is likely wrong anyway -- worry about yourself, and mind your business, as they say, and you'll be a lot less stressed. 



How Journaling Can Help with Achieving Your Goals


Journaling can help you achieve your goals because it will force you to think about them, consider the why and how, and delve deeper into the situation so that you can examine all sides of it. Read on to find out how journaling can help.

 

* It Forces You to Write Down Your Goals - When you start a journal, it basically is a way to force yourself to document your goals. Whether you write them down on paper or you use technology to get it all down doesn’t matter. Once they’re written, they are ready to tackle.

 

* It Makes You Consider Why and How - As you enter data into your journal, you’ll be forced to face the why and how of your goal. This is especially true if you write down a goal and focus on it in your journal. 

 

* It Enables You to Examine the Opportunities and Threats - When you are focused on goal making with your journal, you’ll also explore opportunities and threats coming your way due to your goals. It helps you avoid roadblocks in advance. 

 

* It Makes You Develop Steps for Success Based on Your Goals - When you see it written down, you’ll want to notice and pull out any steps you’ve developed in your journal and put them in your calendar for scheduling. 

 

* It Helps You Improve Goal Setting and Achievement - Each time you intentionally set goals, define steps to achieve the goals, and perform them, you are setting yourself up for being able to improve your skills. 

 

* It Provides Accountability - Even if no one else is reading your journal, a private journal can help you become accountable to yourself. If you develop the habit of looking at your journal each day and put something else in there each day, it’ll work great for helping you become more accountable. 

 

* It Provides a Permanent Record - Having a permanent record of the things you’ve done in your life, whether it’s personal or work, is a beautiful thing. Hardly anyone has a perfect memory, so you’ll maintain the lessons learned better with the record to look back at.

 

* It May Be Inspirational - Depending on the journal, you might even be able to take the information inside and compile it into a real book for others to read to inspire them. You might also take from it steps for your success for a project and turn it into a course to inspire someone else.

 

Journaling is an excellent way to work toward achieving all your goals. It will even help you make better goals because the process of entering facts in your journal will cause you to see them in a more logical way that is more useful. 



How Journaling Can Help with Mental Health Issues


Keeping any type of journal will help with improving any mental health issues. However, if you really want to tackle a specific problem you’re having, it will help to determine the right type of journal to keep. Keeping a particular kind of journal may work best for your issue. 

 

* Boosts Your Mood - If you really want to boost your mood, keeping a gratitude journal is where it’s at. All you have to do is once a day, preferably before bed, write down what you’re grateful for today. It might not seem like much but it’s very powerful for going to sleep, thinking positively about your life.

 

* Increases Your Sense of Well-Being - As you write out your thoughts, you’ll start seeing issues from a new angle just because you’re opening your mind to think about it. This is going to make you feel more capable of dealing with whatever happens.

 

* Lessens Symptoms of Depression - Understand that depression is something different from sadness, and that you likely need a counselor. Writing it all down can make it seem less horrific so that you can feel better. Plus, you can look back at days you thought life was "over" and see better days after. 

 

* Reduces Anxiety - The problem with anxiety is that it was designed to help us get away from immediate danger. It triggers the "fight or flight" response. If each time you have that anxious feeling you choose to write in your journal how you are feeling and why, you’ll start to control it better.

 

* Lowers Avoidance Behaviors - Many people who have mental health issues practice avoidance behaviors such as not going to places that cause them anxiety, or not doing the things they need to do due to how they feel. When you write it out, it helps you get the feelings out but do the thing anyway.

 

* You’ll Sleep Better - Pouring your heart out into a journal is a great way to get things off your chest. However, for sleep, go to the gratitude journal and write down what you’re thankful for today and go to sleep thinking of that.

 

* Makes You a Kinder Person - Exploring your own emotional state and accepting your own feelings while you work through what makes you who you are in your journal is going to make you naturally more empathetic to others too. Letting go of judgment for self improves your thoughts for others also.

 

* Improves Your Memory - This is almost a situation where you want to say "duh" but it has to be said. Writing down things helps you remember them because you can go back and read it, but also because the act of writing something down enables you to recall it.

 

One thing that can really help you make your journaling work is to learn how to keep one effectively. Make some journaling rules, do it every day to create a habit, and keep it private unless you decide to let your therapist see it or you decide to use it to help others. This is for you and only you for the most part. 

 


How to Get Started Writing a Journal


Getting started journaling isn’t something that you need to think about too hard. Yes, there are numerous types and styles of journals and ways to do this that may or may not be more effective depending on your goals, but you can simply get some paper (or your computer) and get started today.

 

* Dust Off Your Pen and Paper - You don’t need anything special to keep a journal; in fact, purists believe that using pen and paper is the best way to journal because you can carry it with you anywhere and you don’t need technology. So, there will be no excuses. 

 

* Do It First Thing in the Morning - Don’t procrastinate about keeping your journal. It’s best to do it in the morning before you begin your day so that you have the right frame of mind for the day. Plus, you only need five to ten minutes, so it’s not that big of a deal. 

 

* Do It Last Thing at Night - Another time to do it is before bed. This works especially well for gratitude journals. That way you can go to sleep thinking about all the things you are grateful for instead of things you’re worried about.

 

* Write Every Single Day - Whenever you choose to do it, try to set it up so that it becomes a ritual and a habit. Journaling every single day is going to be more effective than just doing it when you feel like it.

 

* Start Simply - Don’t start being worried about style and substance right now; just work on the daily habit with pen and paper (or if it’s easier for you, a computer or smartphone). Don’t make it hard - just get going.

 

* Begin with Today - Start right now and write about your day today. That’s the easiest thing to do. What of significance happened today? How did you feel about it? What would you do differently? What would you do the same? 

 

* Try Different Types of Journals - Once you develop the habit, you can start trying different types of journaling like a bullet journal, or a vision journal, or maybe even a project journal for your next project. 

 

* Keep It Private - The main thing to remember about your journal is that it should be kept private. The only exception is if you want to share thoughts with a therapist, counselor, or coach. Or if you want to turn it into a book or course, to help someone else overcome whatever you overcame.

 

Keeping a journal will help you deal with the things that happen to you as well as the things that have not happened to you. The main reason is that writing it down helps you remember what you did right and what you did wrong. It helps you improve your decision-making capacity for similar situations. The main thing is just to get started journaling in any way that works for you.



How to Make Your Journaling More Effective


Any type of journal that you keep can be beneficial. It doesn’t matter if it’s just to document your life or to work through problems - you can use a journal to do it all. From tracking your projects to documenting vacation to overcoming anxiety, a journal will work for you if you pick the right type and make journaling a ritual. 

 

* Find the Right Medium for You - For some people, that’s pen and paper. Many experts claim that’s the best way because of its simplicity. However, you have to do what works for you, and what works for you is what you will do daily. If you make it too hard, you won’t do it.

 

* Turn Journaling Daily into a Habit - To be most effective, journaling has to go on for a long time. It’s a long-term strategy to improve your life and not something that is going to have any effect overnight. For this reason, ritualize your journaling so that it becomes a daily habit.

 

* Set Up a Comfy Journaling Spot - Find a good space you can journal in each day, one which is relaxing and without stress. Some people like to keep their journal by their bedside so that each night when they get into bed, they can quickly write in their journals. 

 

* Choose the Right Style of Journal for Your Needs - The type of journal you want to keep depends on how you plan to use it. You may want to track a project, in which case you’ll need a project journal. If you want to simply document your life, you’d want a classic journal. 

 

* Use Your Journal to Work Through Life and Reach Goals - Don’t just write in the journal; actively seek to improve something in your life - whether it’s the thoughts which drive your feelings or improving your actions so that you experience more success.

 

* Consider Using More Than Writing to Document Your Life - You don’t need to just use text. You can use images, pictures, tickets, and other memories inside your journal too. Sometimes a few pictures and mementos mean more than anything you can write to help you remember.

 

* Read and Reflect Occasionally - Take at least a few minutes to re-read parts of your journal. Once you’ve kept it for a year, it’s fun to go back and read the same day from last year to find out what’s different now and what’s the same and why.

 

* Keep Your Journal Secure - You don’t want to worry about anyone getting into your private business when you’re not around, so keep it hidden. If it’s on your computer, keep it password protected. 

 

If you know why you want to journal, it’ll be easier to figure out which type of journal you need to keep to make your journaling more effective. Sometimes you just want to document your life, while other times you want to work through something difficult. It really depends on your goals and the point of the journal.



Journaling to Help Combat Loneliness


It really doesn’t matter what your issue is; if you want to overcome it, you can find a way to use journaling to help. You can set up a particular type of journal like a gratitude journal to help yourself become more thankful for what you do have, and you can also keep a bullet journal and set goals to overcome the loneliness you’re experiencing if more social connections will do it. The possibilities are truly endless.

 

Let's look in more detail at how journaling can help combat loneliness.

 

Allows You to Explore Your Thoughts and Feelings

 

Journaling can help to simply focus on writing expressively your thoughts and feelings surrounding the loneliness that you are feeling. If you can write about each part of your feelings, and when you first noticed them, you may identify the core cause of the feelings. When you do that, you can develop a plan to solve the problem.

 

Gives You a Way to Express Your Thoughts and Feelings

 

Writing is a time-honored way of expressing thoughts and feelings safely. You never have to let anyone read it. You can write it down in the form of letters to people, or to yourself, or even to someone you don’t know that you keep for yourself when you’re done but completed to get it out in the light to study by you.

 

Provides a Way to Understand Your Thoughts and Feelings

 

Sometimes you may not even know what you are feeling. It can be hard to understand and express what we feel even to ourselves. But when you focus on writing it down, it can help you understand everything in a new way from a new direction that you may not have considered. 

 

Helps Foster Social Connections

 

It might seem like a strange notion to consider, but writing can even help you foster social connections. The main reason is that as you read through what you’ve written, you’re going to discover ways to overcome your situation to find the healthy social connections you need.

 

Helps You See the Big Picture More Easily

 

Looking back at the things you’ve written over time about any topic can provide insight into the situation that you never saw coming. That’s because having the journal to look back on provides a way to see the bigger picture. You may feel super-lonely today, but it’s still less than yesterday, which lets you know it’s going to get even better from here.

 

Provides a Means to Understand and Organize Your Thoughts

 

Writing things down, especially when you choose a particular method like the bullet journal, will help you get your thoughts down in an organized and useful way. When your thoughts are a jumble, you might not see the real point but when they're organized, it makes all the difference. For example, in writing it all down, you may realize that your loneliness is really due to being with the wrong partner who does not value you.

 

You’ll Sharpen Your Observation Skills

 

Once you start writing regularly and it’s become a habit, something amazing will happen. Your observation skills will be sharper, and you’ll have an easier time coming up with descriptive and expressive words to use in your journal. This is going to lead to even more breakthroughs due to having more clarity. 

 

Focuses Your Gratitude Skills

 

Something funny happens when writing in a journal, even if it’s not specifically a gratitude journal per se. What happens is that as you’re writing (even if you’re upset), you’ll become calmer - especially when you read it back. You’ll become grateful for what you do have that is positive in your life, even if it’s simply the ability to breathe in and out today.

 

If you want to combat loneliness, consider writing about and exploring why you feel lonely. You also should remember to read the definition of "loneliness" to ensure that this is what you are really experiencing. No one ever needs to be lonely, even when they are alone, if they know how to work through their thoughts and feelings. Journaling can help with that.