I’m going to share a journal entry of mine I wrote up the other day. You won’t catch me doing this often, as I tend to write very deep, very personal journal entries. This entry, however, was light and airy and full of joy and gratitude so I felt safe enough to share. It was all about finding what you’re grateful for.
I recently got a new book called The Witch’s Book of Self-Care and have been eating it up. You may have recently seen a picture of it in my last post, Plankton in the Ocean: Reclaiming Your Mental Health. I even went as far as purchasing a brand new self-care journal and pen! As if I don’t already have 845,729,384 unfinished journals. Anyway, Chapter 2 is completely devoted to mental and emotional self-care. It’s actually titled Mental and Emotional Self-Care. Very befitting. So, in Chapter 2 I found a multitude of journal entries to try and fell in love with all of them!
The first writing prompt I chose was Sensory Gratitude. It asks you to make a list of things for which you’re grateful for each sense. I loved the simplicity of it all. The nice, gentle ease into my new self-care journal. Finding what you’re grateful for. It was all so…magical! So magical, in fact, that I wanted to share it with you in hopes that you may try it and enjoy it as much as I did. Below you will find the instructions straight from the book on how to do the journaling exercise for Sensory Gratitude.
The Writing Prompt
Grounding
Now, some of you may not know how to center and ground. It’s easier to do than you might think. Thankfully, the book also has an explanation of how to do that. It’s simple, straight forward, and can be done anywhere. It is as followed:
The Thinking Process: Finding What You’re Grateful For
Now that you’re centered and grounded it’s time to begin! Start by thinking about all of your senses one by one. Let thoughts flow, with ease, in and out of your mind, all centered around your five senses. Think of things that make you grateful, happy, or excited and then find a way to attach them to your senses. It can be anything, really! The smell of freshly cut grass, the taste of your favorite recipe from a grandparent, or even watching your dogs play in your backyard on a warm summer evening. They don’t have to be extremely detailed or extremely short. Put as much time and effort into each as you see fit.
The Writing Process: Finding What You’re Grateful For
Ok so you’ve got your pen and notebook, you’ve centered and grounded, and thought about your 5 senses and how they bring you gratitude. Now it’s time to write! Put pen to paper and let your imagination soar! For me, this particular entry was easy to write. There were no difficult emotions to convey, no lengthy determination of tarot cards, no deep dark secrets to divulge. Surprisingly, the answers came rather naturally to me. So I hope it’s as easy for you as it was for me. If it’s not easy, not to worry! Start with just one thing for which you’re grateful for each sense instead of three. You can slowly work your way up to three the more comfortable you get with the process. So take all the thoughts you just gathered and let them pour out onto the paper!
The Journal Entry: Finding What You’re Grateful For
Ok, drum roll please. The moment we’ve all been waiting for! Hahaha just kidding. I felt so inspired by this journal entry the only thing I could think to do was share it with you. So here we go!
If you love this journal entry as much as I do, and you’re looking for more, go right ahead and order the book off Amazon or find it at your local book store or witchy shop.
Finding what you’re grateful for can be such an empowering practice. Each item on my list has great meaning to me. Lizzo and Stevie help me feel like a strong, empowered woman. Seeing my friends after a long absence immediately warms my heart and makes my head feel all floaty and fuzzy. Plumeria essential oil makes me feel like I’m being wrapped up in a warm, comfy blanket of floral aroma. Grama’s homemade chocolate brownies put a smile on my face the instant I see them. My cat, Sūs, has the softest fur behind her ears and when I kiss it I swear I know what love is. I am so incredibly grateful for all the small things in my life. They bring me joy, gratitude, love, strength, power, and so much more.
My hope for this post is that it inspires you to write, that it inspires you to seek out all for which you’re grateful. There are so many things in our daily lives we can be grateful for, it just takes a moment of silence and concentration to find them. So take a moment today to meditate on what you’re grateful for and write it down. And if you feel inclined to share, we’d love to see what you came up with!
With love and light,
Kay 💛