Better Self Journal

Welcome to the Better Self Journal Welcome, and thank you! You (or the person who purchased this journal for you) have done a great thing! As you begin to practice and gain lessons from using this journal, you will be giving yourself some amazing opportunities in creating your Better Self. Why “Better Self”? Here at Better Self we’ve realised that people are in a constant state of motion; continuously changing, adapting and evolving, and that this motion can be either positive or negative. Amongst all of us though, there is one thing that we all have in common: We just want to be better. Our mission is to provide people with some of the best ideas, opportunities, actionable tips, and simple steps to start creating their Better Self, by making positive changes to their own lives, and thus begin making positive ripples in their immediate environment too. So not only are you benefiting yourself on your life journey, but everyone around you also! What are you waiting for? Let’s get started! Let me tell you about the power of gratitude Firstly, let’s take a generalised look at the state of our everyday life. Most people you come across will tell you that they are leading a busy, overwhelming life, which is jam-packed full of stresses related to their work, family, relationships and finances. As we scroll through our many social media feeds we are bombarded with pictures of other people living “the good life”, the life we think that we want, forcing us into a state of comparison, self-shaming and feelings of inadequacy. Then, we turn on the news and are immediately hit with negative headlines from around the world which prompt feelings of fear, anger and sadness. Sure, at times it can often feel like there isn’t a whole lot to be thankful for in life and yes, there a million things we don’t have. But there are a million things we do have, and there are million things we can be thankful for. This is where gratitude comes in. Gratitude is about expressing thankfulness and appreciation for things that are meaningful and valuable to oneself- the big, the small, the essential, and the basic. This can refer to being thankful for things like receiving a promotion at work, having an extra 5-minutes to play with your kids before school this morning, a certain challenge you overcame, the way the sun is hitting the trees and the flowers outside of your window, having clean drinking water, being able to sit down for breakfast with your partner, or simply being alive for another day. Gratitude acts as a bridge between feelings of scarcity and feelings of abundance: If you concentrate on what you have, you’ll always have more, but if you concentrate on what you don’t have, you’ll never have enough. Simply put, expressing gratitude allows us to amplify all of the good we have in our lives, and take our focus away from the bad. No longer will you be living from a sense of scarcity, fear, anger, resentment and sadness, but instead on a path that is created towards success, joy and fulfillment. No matter how bad your day is, there is so much that can be appreciated, and this is why gratitude is so powerful. It’s impossible to feel gratitude and be angry or sad at the same time. Try it, I dare you! What benefits will I get from having a gratitude practice? You may be asking: “It’s all well and good to express gratitude, but if it isn’t showing any benefits in my life as a whole, then why should I take time from my busy day to do it?”. Well fortunately for us, there is a massive (and growing) body of research and literature that supports having a regular gratitude practice. Typically, people who express gratitude: o Enjoy better quality and longer duration of sleep o Exercise more often o Increase their social support network, and build and maintain better relationships with their family, friends and community o Are more receptive to the good things that come into their life o Get sick less often o Experience positive emotions, such as contentment and happiness, more often o Exhibit lower levels of negative emotions such as anger, sadness and shame o Are more protected from a range of mental health disorders o Have reduced blood pressure o Have lower levels of the stress-hormone cortisol o Are able to better deal with adversity or loss o Are more hopeful, patient and optimistic o Show higher levels of resiliency o Report higher overall life satisfaction The best thing about expressing gratitude is that it only takes a matter of minutes to do, and the effects can be not only long-lasting, but life-changing. What’s awesome is that whilst gratitude was the main motivation for creating these journals, it isn’t the only focus. To add even more value, we have also included two other research-backed positive psychology features that allow you to frame each and every day with further intention and reflection. Read on to find out how!