Today marks the first week where I’ll be working my regular hours for work. Looking back from the moment where I finally collapsed and had to admit that I was having a burn-out up to this moment I can tell you that I’ve come out of this whole ordeal stronger than ever. Whenever people experience adversity of any kind it’s the way you react to the situation that will ultimately tell you what kind of person you really are, or what you have become.

Now a lot of people who have ever experienced a burn-out will probably tell you that it’s not a fun experience at all. The danger is that if you don’t learn anything from it and don’t reinvent yourself, you’ll risk getting another burn-out eventually. What it has taught me is that work can never be so important that you need to tolerate your job for the sake of having an income. I know that that is much easier said than done for some people, but I do believe that everyone is capable of choosing themselves over their jobs. Especially if there’s a point where you find yourself dragging yourself to work every day.

Extensive self-help reading

During my recovery period I’ve read a whole lot of self help books and even now I am currently reading a book titled The Cambridge Happiness Profiler by Patrick van Hees. This book includes a code that allows you to take the CHAP test, so you can see which things are important to you, the so called Happiness Sources and then there are those things that could improve your happiness further called Growth Areas. Once I’m finished with this book I’ll start writing some reviews and give some tips on books I think are worth it, so stay tuned! 🙂 And I’ll share my own experiences with you as well in a series of upcoming blogs, in the hopes that they’ll work for you too!

Practising gratefulness

What I wanted to write about today wasn’t a whole slur of books I read. What this and many of the books I’ve read in these past few months all had in common however was one thing and that’s the importance of practising gratitude! And you don’t really need much to practise it. I’ve been doing it for quite some time (about two years, I think) and it has really helped me through some tougher periods. Because the truth is, whatever is going on in your life and how bad it all may seem, there should always be something you can at least be grateful for! And these things don’t even have to be that big. You can be grateful for having a roof over your head, or enjoy reading a book in the sun, or the fact that you had a visit from a dear friend. There are many ways to practise gratitude, but here are three that I think are among the best methods available to anyone.

Keeping a gratitude journal

There seems to be a difference of opinion on what time during the day is best, but keeping a gratitude journal and writing at least three things in it that you’re grateful for every day is a great way of practising gratitude. Personally, I think I prefer doing it in the evening, after the day is done, because it’s a nice way of reflecting on the day and looking back on all the good things in life. It might even help you sleep better, because you’ll end your day on a positive note.

Sharing your gratitude

Another option, which might be more fun, because you won’t be doing it solo, is to share your gratitude with someone. Maybe a family member or your partner, or even your cat! But taking a moment every day to share with each other what you’re grateful for can increase your overall happiness over time. Bren and I do this from time to time, and if she would tell she was grateful for something I hadn’t mentioned, or thought of, I’d share in her gratefulness, because she made me realise that there was even more to be grateful for! It’s a win-win situation and can be really fun to do. I wouldn’t say you should do this daily, but every now and then, otherwise it might feel a bit too forced and that’s the opposite of what you want to establish. 😉

Writing a letter, or telling someone you’re grateful for having them in your life

Compliments are a rare commodity it seems in this day and age, so whenever you receive one it’s sometimes hard to just accept it. At least that’s what I’ve experienced. Some time ago someone told me how much they loved my scifi series and how well written it was. I found myself almost unable to accept the compliment, because, when it comes down to it, I’m not that confident my books are really that great. Maybe that’s a writer’s curse 😉 Anyway, the fact that she took the time to tell me this really made my day and likewise I try to go out of my way to tell the people who mean something to me just how much I appreciate them and all they do and mean to me. Perhaps the best method to do this is by writing a letter and reading it to them, so they can keep the letter to read it as often as they’d like! This is something I plan to do more often, because it’s such a powerful way of practising gratitude.

We should all be more grateful

What do you think about all of these options? Maybe you even want to share your own method of practising gratitude! Please let me know in the comments! 🙂 And remember to be grateful! 😉

Have a nice week!

~Jeffrey