Positivity

Gratitude Lists: The Benefits and How To Get Started

| Eleanor

Writing gratitude lists can be a great habit to start. It’s a wonderful self care exercise that can help improve your wellbeing and mental health.

Noticing what we’re grateful for each day allows the feeling of gratitude to lead us in a more positive direction. By making just a short gratitude list, we are able to appreciate life so much more.

What is a gratitude list?

A gratitude list is where you write down everything you’re thankful for. Sit down and reflect on the positive moments that you’re grateful for.

There are many different ways to keep a gratitude list including in a notebook, on the notes app on your phone, and you can even tweet a list daily. Personally, I like to share my gratitude lists as it can help others to feel grateful for their lives too.

Gratitude lists can be done as often or as little as you like. You can incorporate them into any other part of your daily routine, or just write one as and when you get the time.

Some prefer to keep a gratitude journal where you can expand on the things you’re thankful for. This can be a great way to into depth about what you have noted on your list. Gratitude journals often come with prompts that can help you think about what to write. The prompts can be used in your gratitude lists too, but I’ll talk more about that later on in this post.

What are the benefits of writing a gratitude list?

Gratitude is strongly linked to happiness. And who doesn’t want to be happy?! Practising gratitude can help you feel more positive emotions, appreciate the little moment in your life, improve your mental health and improve the relationships we have with the people in our lives.

As well as improving our wellbeing, gratitude lists can serve as time for us to put ourselves first. By taking a few minutes out of your day to write a small gratitude list, you’ve prioritised yourself and your wellbeing.

How to get started?

This is the absolute best part; you can get started with pretty much nothing.

Depending on how you wish to keep your gratitude list, there are a few ways you can get started:

  1. On your phone – All you need is a phone and a notes app.
  2. Pen and paper – You can use a notebook or scrap paper.
  3. Social media – Tweet out your list or share it over on Instagram.

You can use this as an excuse to start a new notebook or keep it casual. Make it work for you.

Not sure what to write. Try some prompts.

I previously mentioned that gratitude journals often come with prompts. Since keeping a gratitude list is something that you can do casually, it can be hard to come up with things off the top of your head.

Here are some prompts to get you started:

  • People you’re grateful to know
  • Something you like about yourself
  • A skill you have
  • Memories that make you smile
  • Something you own that brings you joy
  • Yummy food and drink

You can write down anything that makes you feel thankful. It doesn’t have to make sense to other people as long as it does to you.

Is writing a gratitude list something you’d be interested in? Do you practise gratitude?

My Top 7 Reads of 2022 So Far

| Eleanor

Since we are halfway through 2022 now, I thought it would be a lovely idea to tell you about some of my favourite reads of the year.

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera

I caved and read this book because everyone was talking about it. All the bookish people on Twitter and TikTok were getting to me and I just needed to know what the hype was all about. Safe to say, this book did not let me down.

Rating: ★★★★★

If I Can’t Have You by Charlotte Levin

I picked this book up quite spontaneously and I’m honestly so glad that I did. I got through it in about 2 days which is incredibly fast for me.

Rating: ★★★★★

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

This book has been on my tbr list for waayyy too long. After finishing a longer book, I wanted to read something quick and lighthearted. I picked up Heartstopper and now I’m looking forward to reading volume two because volume one was just so cute.

Rating: ★★★★★

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Some of My Digital Journal Pages

| Eleanor

While I’ve been away from my blog for a little bit, one of the things I spent more time doing was journaling. More specifically, digitally journaling.

Journaling has been such a relaxing way for me to create without putting too much pressure on myself. I’ve found it almost therapeutic to sit with my iPad and apple pencil and create scrapbook-style journal pages.

I thought it would be a nice idea to share some of my journal pages here to help you get ideas for your own journal.

Here are some of my digital journal pages:

Do you keep a journal, whether it’s digital or physical?

Top 8 Inspiring Fictional Characters

| Eleanor

Sometimes we come across a character whether that’s in a book, film or any other form, and that character inspires us to be a better version of ourselves.

Finding a character who makes you feel like you can be the best version of yourself is a great feeling. So here are some of my most inspiring fictional characters..

Anne Shirley

There was no way I could write a post about inspiring characters and not mention Anne from Anne of Green Gables. Anne teaches us to use our imagination, be okay with making mistakes, and to appreciate the little things in life.

Rory Gilmore

This choice is probably a bit of a controversial one in the Gilmore Girls community. Sure, Rory makes mistakes and can be incredibly annoying. However, early-season Rory inspires me to read more, educate myself, and be a kind friend. While we are on the topic, are you team Dean, Jess, or Logan?

Éowyn

Éowyn is a fictional character in The Lord of the Rings. She’s unsatisfied with her life and decides to go about changing it herself to live the life she wants to. She’s the ultimate badass who rides into battle and kills the Lord of the Nazgûls, the Witch-King of Angmar once and for all. Éowyn doesn’t get as much credit as she deserves.

Enola Holmes

Being the younger sibling of Sherlock Holmes, it’s not surprising that Enola is smart, observant and has great sleuthing skills. She defies gender norms and set out to live her life the way that she wishes.

Beth March

Beth is one of the four main protagonists in Little Women. All four of them are inspiring to me, but for this post, I decided just to mention Beth. She’s known for being musical and extremely pleasant. Although Beth is shy and quiet, she is also sweet, kind, honest and gentle.

Matilda

Who wouldn’t be inspired by a kind, book loving girl who can move things with her mind? Matilda teaches people that kindness, friendship, and love are some of the most important things in life. Even in hard times, Matilda tries to see the positives and I think we can all take a little something from that.

Belle

Belle from Beauty and the Beast is another character who loves to read. She teaches us to see inner beauty and not fall for a pretty face. She’s also willing to sacrifice herself for her father which inspires us to be selfless and love the people around us.

Jane Eyre

No matter what Jane went through, she was always determined to live the life she deserved. Throughout her life she suffers quite a bit, but no matter what Jane finds a way to get back onto her feet and keep going. Jane is independent and knows what she deserves, and doesn’t settle for less. I think we should all live like that.

Who is your favourite inspiring character?

How To Romanticise Your Home

| Eleanor

Your home is your safe space. It’s a place where you can relax, refresh and rest. It’s also a place where you can socialise, prepare and plan. Honestly, your home is sort of your base, and it should be a place that you enjoy spending time in.

One of the best things you can do to your home is make it a place you want to be in. Fill your home with things that make you smile and places that make you feel glad to be alive.

We spend so much time in our homes so what better way for us to romanticise our lives than by making our homes feel special. So, here are some ways you can do just that.

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6 Things In Your Day-To-Day Life To Romanticise This Winter

| Eleanor

Winter can be a pretty difficult time of year for many people. The days are shorter and the weather is colder. But that doesn’t mean there are not beautiful parts of Winter too.

It can be harder to see the beauty in life during the shorter days, but that’s just even more of a reason to find joy in the small moments. We need to romanticise those little moments in life that we usually rush through. Slow down and take a second to appreciate those little, magical moments that Winter offers us.

So, here are six things that you already do or can incorporate into your daily life this winter to make things a little more lovely.

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6 Reasons To Read Anne of Green Gables

| Eleanor

Anne of Green Gables is such a whimsical, feel-good story that you’d be completely missing out if you didn’t read it. It’s one of those books that I wish I had read sooner so I would have more time in life to read it over and over again.

Since I don’t have a time machine that would allow me to read Anne of Green Gables earlier, I thought I’d write a post where I tell you all of the reasons that you should read it, so you don’t miss out on the absolute job of Anne Shirley.

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery was published back in 1908 but people still adore the story to this day. That itself encourage you to read it, but if you’re still not convinced, here are 6 reasons that you should read Anne of Green Gables.

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A Cosy Winter Reading List

| Eleanor

Reading is one of the best cosy activities. You can curl up under a blanket, light a candle, sip a hot drink and spend hours in a fantasy world. What’s not to love about it?

Since the winter months are on their way and it’s about to be chilly, I thought it would be nice to compile a list of books that are perfect to cosy up with.

No matter what kind of books you enjoy reading, hopefully, this post will have a book that might pique your interest.

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