Thirty days worth of ‘Amazing three’ equals 90 amazing things. “The Amazing Three is your personal collection of the expected and unexpected bounty of wonderful things that you experienced in a day.” I like to focus on ‘The Amazing Three’ section (“What are three amazing things happened during your day?”)Īs Alex Ikonn and UJ Ramdas (creators of the 5MJ) state: This list of suggestions helps to keep my lists fresh and interesting!Įxtracting valuable lessons from your 5MJĪfter 30 days of filling in your journal, make yourself a nice smoothie or hot drink, find yourself a comfortable chair and review all your entries. Something simple that’s near you or within sight. Something great that happened yesterday (you experienced it or witnessed it)Ĥ. An old relationship that really helped youģ. To avoid this happening, Tim Ferriss (author of Tools of Titans) suggests reflecting on the following:ġ.
#5 minute journal questions how to
How to avoid your gratitude lists becoming boring and predictableĪfter a week of reflection, you may find you keep coming up with the same old things for what you feel grateful for (e.g. I tell myself, “It takes less than 5 minutes to do! That’s nothing!” I keep my 5MJ on my bedside table: when I wake up I see it and that’s my cue to fill it in.ģ. Here are some strategies I implemented after reflecting on those questions:ġ. What are three major obstacles that would stop you from writing the journal (morning/night)? Write two actions you can take per obstacle to make sure you don’t succumb to laziness. What things will you do to ensure you use the 5MJ everyday?ĥ. If you don’t finish 5 days of journal writing, what will you promise to do?Ĥ. If you finish 5 days of journal writing, how will you reward yourself?ģ. Why is writing in this journal important to you?Ģ. You are asked to consider the following:ġ. It’s a gratitude journal that prompts you to reflect on key questions in the morning and evening.Īt the beginning of the 5MJ, you are prompted to reflect on how you will make writing in the 5MJ part of your daily routine. This was supposed to be the journal for people who don’t journal (that was me).įor the last two months, I’ve been practicing gratitude every morning and evening thanks to this nifty little journal. Until a friend I studied psychology with told me about this thing called The 5 Minute Journal (5MJ). Why wouldn’t you practice it?īecause you’re lazy and forgetful. Start your daily gratitude practice today They also spent more time engaging in physical exercise. The participants in group 1 (the gratitude group) experienced lower stress levels, better sleep, reductions in physical pain and enhanced well-being compared to the other two groups. Group 3 had to recall only neutral events Group 2 had to recall five burdens each day Group 1 had to recall five things they were grateful for each day
In a study by Emmons and McCollough (2003), participants were split into three groups: It’s something you need to work at and practice.Ĭan simply thinking of five things you’re grateful for each day make a difference to your life? An attitude of gratitude is not something you’re born with. Gratitude is the mental tool we use to remind ourselves of the good stuff in our lives. And this is where practicing gratitude can help. In psychology, this is called the Automatic Negativity Bias.īut we also know that every time a negative thought arises, you have an opportunity to cultivate a new perspective. the fact you can afford to wear comfortable shoes)? I guarantee you’ll start to feel a whole lot better.īut how do you build a rock solid positive mindset?Įasier said than done, right? Research shows our brains respond more strongly to things we perceive as negative than to those that are positive or neutral. But what if you shift your attention to the good stuff (e.g. the poo on your shoe), you’re going to feel pretty average. You don’t need me to tell you that if you focus on the negative (e.g. What if you were so sick you couldn’t get out of bed and pick up a pen? What if you never learnt to read or write in the first place? Hey, at least you’ve got something to eat! What if you hadn’t been wearing any shoes when you stepped in that dog poo?
But in those moments of despair, it’s important to remember that things could be worse. We all have moments where our lives feel like a chaotic mess. That essay you’ve been avoiding for weeks? It’s due tomorrow.
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