Chest Infections & Gratitude Journaling

So, this is my third back to back day in the house. I'm currently off work with a chest infection and cold. I'm usually pretty good at fighting off infections and recovering quickly from illness but I've been suffering with this particular ailment for well over a week now and am struggling to shake it off.

The more I think about it, the more likely I think it is that I picked up this viral infection on a recent plane journey back from a long weekend away in Majorca. Being self-employed, I pressed on and continued to deliver training sessions until I really couldn't face it any more. Perhaps the outdoor boot camp in the driving rain last last weekend should have been the final straw!

Like many of us, feeling ill really gets me down. It not only wastes my time but also my energy and costs me lots of money. However, after a couple of days of moping around the house and feeling sorry for myself, I'm ready to be a lot more positive today :)

Today I plan to do a few simple things to boost my mood and use my time spent at home productively.

• Write a couple of blog posts
• Research honeymoon destinations
• Catch up on some programme planning
• Contact old friends
• Complete work admin
• Start a gratitude journal

The last bullet point of the above list is an interesting one and something you may have some across yourself.

As far as I'm aware, gratitude journalling is growing in popularity. The idea is that you take a small amount of time once or twice a week to think about and list all of the things that you're truly grateful for. This is a therapeutic practise that is designed to improve happiness and enhance consciousness. You could, of course, do this every single day. However, the advice from those who know is to do your best not to overkill this technique. It's not so much about the amount that you're grateful for, but more about understanding why you're grateful for it. The process is therefore going to be less beneficial and elicit less happiness as a result if you simply and vacantly list dozens of positive things in your life. So maybe the best option is to limit myself to once or twice a week and just 5 things I'm grateful for at a time. Having said this, surely placing a limit on the number of things you can be appreciative of/grateful for is somewhat inhibiting and perhaps defeats the object. I guess I'll just see how I go and write what I feel is the correct amount.

Now, I have no intention of making my personal gratitude journal public but I do know that my first entry will be about my fiancé, Nita. I'm so lucky to have someone who’s willing to drop everything for me when I'm sick. She really does do everything she can to make my life as easy as it can be and I'm wholeheartedly grateful for all of her efforts with this.

What are you grateful for?

P.S. Be happy and healthy toady :)