DAILY SELF-REFLECTION & GRATITUDE PRACTICE

As I am writing this, I am in Covid Quarantine. Even though I was not excited the first moment looking at my test, I realized that this situation will give me a time to slow down, reflect, go inward, and just BE. I like to share a few easy-to-apply tools that carry great potential; they bring calm and consciousness into your life.
Just 5 minutes per day, try the practice of self-reflection and gratitude!

Make it simple: Take a moment at a certain time every day to reflect how grateful you are for yourself or for an experience. Recognize the value in each small event. Some people do their reflection in the evening, before going to bed; some run their routine before getting up, or combine it with their Yoga practice. The more you celebrate the moment, the more you integrate this routine into your life. Each day will appear more important, and after some time, this self-reflection will become a sacred ritual.

Especially, if you combine the reflection with your breathing and meditation, something magical can unfold! It is a good tool to reduce stress, anxiety, depression. It helps to set priorities, to get to know oneself, to recognize anxiousness and concerns, become aware of our self-critic, self-doubt, and therefore, we can grow into a positive direction.

All what is happening does so for a reason. It has a healing effect to go inward and let the day pass by in front of your inner eye. It gives meaning to each day, and you can digest all experiences, or even let them go once you have written them down.

Even though, the world can be very cruel, it is not helpful to focus on the negative aspects! Our brain automatically wants to focus on challenges. However, we can practice seeing positive aspects in negative situations. We should not focus  on a negative situation, rather become aware of HOW we view and react to a situation!

Since our brain is not a rigid part of us, we can think about neuroplasticity, the ability the brain can change. By seeing the positive side, you can articulate gratitude and discover the bright side.

PICK UP YOUR JOURNAL!

Every day, write something short and meaningful:

1. What am I grateful for today?
If your day had a special highlight, write it in a colored pen! Your favorite color!
In this way, when you have a bad day, you can go back into your journal and find the highlights right away to lift you up!

2. What did I do well today?
If we are critical towards ourselves, it will help us to see what we have accomplished. It's about self-worth. Not only regarding our career, but also little daily things of helping somebody, or creating a special beautiful day.

***Before you start your daily journal of gratitude, write something general:
1. What are you grateful for in your life?
2. Which person has enriched your life? (meaningful connection)
3. What experiences have enriched your life? (highlights)