Tag: grateful

The Benefits of Gratitude Journaling And History of Gratitude

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Something that Hugh Jackman swears by every morning, before he even gets out of bed, is gratitude journaling. I can attest that this method of rewiring my brain to be grateful and blissful each day is not only a fun practice but can easily help you get out of a funk.

I’ve been recently trying to change my routine in which I am helping people in my nutrition counseling programs and volunteering my time at We Share Hope to overcome food insecurity. While these seem like positive changes upfront, the change of a routine actually causes cognitive dissonance within the brain. This is, unfortunately, the way for everybody. It’s the same concept when you are trying to change up your diet. Your body just freaks the freak out! (Not to mention give you excess flatulence — yikes!)

The tool(s) that have been helping me are not only keeping myself busy and knowing I’m making positive changes, but also gratitude journaling. Even by listing 3-10 things you are grateful for, you are already putting yourself in that euphoric state, which can set the tone for your entire day. How you spend your mornings affect how your day is going to be.

Now, where exactly did gratitude journaling come about? Well, first of all, gratitude journaling first came about thanks to author Sarah Ban Breathnach. According to a study reported by Mindful.org, gratitude journaling can lead to better sleep and lower blood pressure. With that said, just gratitude journal for health’s sake. And being the neuroscience nerd that I am, gratitude actually boosts serotonin and activates the hypothalamus to produce dopamine. Dopamine is what is known as the “pleasure chemical.” The hormone gratitude releases is oxytocin, also known as the “love drug.”

The word, itself, “gratitude” comes from the Latin word, “gratus” which means “pleasing,” “welcome,” and “agreeable.” The term “gratus” also relates to terms such as “grace” or “gratuity.” Gratitude has been practiced by Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, and Hindu traditions. (Does anyone else find it strange how Catholicism is not mentioned? There must be some reason. 🤔) Gratitude was first used in the 16th century. The Bible actually mentions gratitude a whopping 157 times. Fun fact: the term “fear not” is used in the Bible 365 times, which as we all know is the same amount of days within a year. Think about this the next time you pray: fear not all year ’round.

With that all said, I invite you to pray and reflect with me: “One friend sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). Let’s be grateful for all that we have, even if it’s how our hair feels after a much-needed shower.

MORE LIKE THIS: 10 Dorothy Day Quotes For Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, Never Let Anyone Tell You That You’re Not Good Enough, Self Love In Bleak Times, Go Little Rockstar: It’s Ready, It’s Yours, You Did It

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BLOG-MAS TUESDAY: We Should Have Listened To Sheryl Crow Years Ago…

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Picture this: it is 2005, and Sheryl Crow just came on the radio. It’s her famous “Soak Up The Sun.” We all liked it because we were a) probably conditioned to like it by society or b) we actually found it catchy. I actually fell under group b.

A stanza that we weren’t cognizant of, as second graders was the following:

I don’t have digital
I don’t have diddly squat
It’s not having what you want
It’s wanting what you’ve got.

You’re probably thinking, what do the last two lines mean? So I’m challenging you to think again: when was the last time you were truly grateful for something that you had, that you have always wanted?

For example, I dreamt of a closet full of stunning clothes, living in the city, and the man I have. I have all of the above now, as a 26-year-old. Golly, am I grateful, thankful, and blessed. 💖

I am already abundant 100%, and it doesn’t matter how much I have in my bank account (which, to Sheryl Crow’s lyrics is “diddly squat”). What I don’t want is to constantly be chasing the bone every day by focusing on “want, want, want.” No one ever got by in life that way.

It’s the same thing with success. If you feel successful, you are going to be successful.

That isn’t to say that you should take everything you have for granted. I make sure that I tell my boyfriend that he’s appreciated and that I’m grateful for him. Once upon a time, I craved a man like him. Now, I have him and I’m so lucky and, once again, grateful, thankful, blessed — no need for hashtags.

If you’re writing in your manifestation journal, “manically manifesting,” you’re literally chasing the bone like a dog would. No, I am NOT calling you a bitch, relax. 😂

For example, I manifested living in the city. Though I may not geographically be exactly where I wish to be right now, right now I am grateful that I live near so many stores, restaurants, and especially that grocery store with a Starbucks in it. I remember how much I wanted to be an author. Now, I have three poetry books and one of them is being turned into a movie. I remember in the beginning of the year how much I wanted clients, now I have 4 and I get to launch my first Delicious Life Experience Group Coaching program in January 2023! I remember how much I wanted to speak to people about what I do; I get to speak to aspiring authors in 2023 and I’m speaking on wellness with a new friend this month — twice.

Abundance does not come from a plethora of Starbucks coffee. According to Billie Eilish: “I got everything I wanted,” and life is only going to get better.

So, I challenge you to write down, in your little “catalogue” of yours, what are you grateful for? It’s almost 2023, so you’ll be surprised at how much you’ve accomplished and happened for the greater good.

xoxo,

April 💕

MORE LIKE THIS: BLOG-MAS: What’s Your ‘Why?’ The Purpose Statement, BLOG-MAS: Reasons To Go To Graduate School, BLOG-MAS TUESDAY: You’re responsible for finding inspiration, 10 Dorothy Day Quotes For Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

I Have Diabetes

Published on by The April Diaries8 Comments

The fact that the last post I made could’ve been my last is something I still can’t comprehend. February 14, 2022 — the day I almost died, and also the day I lived.

I was sitting at my desk at a brand new job… that I had to leave early. I had this continuous feeling that I was going to barf and faint at the same time. Falling asleep in my cubicle would not have been ideal. I had gotten home with lungs filled with cold, bitter air but also a lot of congestion. The amount of pain I was in was unbearable. I wrote this one off as my anxiety making my acid reflux worse; but that didn’t explain why my back was stinging with pain, too. It also didn’t explain why I threw up four times within a matter of two hours.

Then came a little after 11:00 p.m. and I got up from what was supposed to be sleep, but only made me feel worse. I got up out of bed, only to find I could barely walk. I succumbed to my mother’s suggestion to go to the Emergency Room.

You Have What?

The whole night was a total blur, and by that I mean I have no recollection of what happened other than the fact I was in the ICU and wet the bed trying to use a bed pan. (That’s way TMI, but still.) When I regained consciousness, I remember coughing and sounding like the demon from Beloved. I could barely keep my eyes open, nonetheless talk. I was beyond dehydrated. I could barely breathe, due to the dehydration and my overall condition. I later found out from a doctor that I did in fact, have diabetes. All of the events of the day led me to having a near-lethal blood sugar level (over 400). My Diet Coke certainly didn’t help, nor did the honey in my tea earlier that evening. It was then 4:00-5:00 a.m. and I was tired and confused. I don’t know why but I was concerned about my phone, which I later found that my mother had it all along — not that it really mattered where my phone was. My health was/is the only thing that matters here.

It’s needless to say that it came not only out of left field to me, but to everyone else I know. My best friend asked if I was okay, my poor boyfriend was really worried, and my dietician the other day was completely thrown off.

A Second Chance At Life

It’s still an emotion-jerker for me that I’ll never get my old life back, but the truth is, this is a whole new chance at a better life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to what my “past life” gave me, but this “new life” is giving me a chance to eat healthier, exercise (as soon as my arms stop hurting from where the IV injections were), but also remind myself that I’m still a fun-loving, fashion-loving, literature-loving, whatever-you-name-it person.

However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have my moments. Some hours are better than others. I can’t fathom how much emotional pain this diagnosis caused me as of recent. I can barely stare at a screen for prolonged periods of time; I’m surprised I’m well enough to even write this post. But today, February 24, just ten days after that day, I put on makeup and pulled myself together for myself. That isn’t to say that I probably won’t have a crying spell tonight, but I was actually able to write down what I’m grateful for the first time in over a week. My hands regained their strength, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to type!

Speaking of “type,” I most likely have type 2 diabetes and I’m coming to terms with it slowly and somewhat gracefully. It’s certainly taking some time to mentally wrap my head around this diagnosis, but just like everything else, it comes with time.

Come join me on this brand new, beautiful lifestyle.

xoxo,

April

Not Such A Bad Thing To Fall In Love

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Contrary to what I said two years ago about ostensibly “hating” Valentine’s Day, I actually have always loved this holiday. Even when some kid in fifth grade said “a lot of people throw Valentine’s cards away,” I said, “I save them,” which prompted another kid to say, “seriously?” Why not? People paid money for them, and even if they were “obligatory,” they still had some thought behind them.

I even remember being in elementary school and hating the idea of love, even though I secretly had a crush on Cole Sprouse during his “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” days with his brother, Dylan, Brenda Song, and Ashley Tisdale.

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Hey, um, elementary school April? Did you even have experience with love? No. You won’t even have your first love until you’re 19.

I love this holiday because it’s the one day, if not every day, that you can express your gratitude for someone you know. (I’m not saying I particularly “liked” anyone in elementary school.) The thing is, when you show gratitude for someone, they’re willing to do more and vice-versa. It’s more or less of a give-and-take game.

Maybe I was just a closeted hopeless romantic. I remember one of the only things I wanted after the eighth grade was to have a boyfriend, not that I was desperate. I was yearning for the real, romantic-with-a-mix-of-friendly love that I didn’t quite get till now (i.e. my current boyfriend — hi Steve!) On that note, I am grateful to the love I share with him. Despite the last two “chapters” of my life, nothing was quite so meaningful until him.

I feel like I’m fulfilling my Carrie Bradshaw “status” in writing about love. But the truth is, love has no set definition. It’s all that you make of it. It’s not always what you see on television and in the movies. It’s challenging, but it’s a good challenge. It’s funny because it actually is give and take. It’s not really about sex, either, which is not in accordance with popular belief. Some choose to wait, and some choose to do it. But either way, communication is also key to conveying what you want. In fact, I felt as though it were just tonight that my boyfriend and I were getting to know each other all over again. Whatever it was, it felt right.

My point in all this is not to conform to popular culture, or what seems “cool.” In the end, it’s all about what’s right for you.

 

Live in the moment because the present is a present.

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“You have so much

but are always hungry for more

stop looking up at everything you don’t have

and look at everything you do.

 

where the satisfaction lives — Rupi Kaur

Whether you like poetry or not, this Rupi Kaur poem mainly goes out to undergraduate seniors who don’t really know what to do after college. (I’m assuming most of you are in or out of undergrad!) If you have something planned, I applaud and congratulate you with all the sincerity in my heart (not to sound corny — LOL). If you don’t, don’t stress, and don’t obsess either, you’ll end up driving people nuts. (Yes, that was an apology long overdue for my indecisiveness.) And hey, even that internship you’re most likely doing this semester will turn into a full-time job! Stranger things have happened!

Something that I didn’t feel completely content with until now, was the fact I wasn’t getting a source of income outside my work-study position. But then I realized, “what’s the point in getting a job ON TOP of an internship? PLUS a work-study job!?” Being perfectly content with what you have already is huge. This is a little thing I like to call gratitude. 

The reason why I say “don’t stress,” I know, it’s easier said than done! I say that because if you do, you could be so obsessed with finding a job that it’s easier to miss out on the life that’s happening right in front of you! You’d be amazed at the people who are all about the hustle and the go, go, go, that they don’t take in any views, scenery, sunsets, you name it!

Life is too short to be sitting around preoccupied. I couldn’t be happier with knowing that I have an internship for the semester on top of work-study. I’ll be graduating in May with my fellow classmates, and with people to celebrate with afterward. I wasn’t even remotely disappointed when I applied and interviewed for a job and didn’t get it! For everything and everyone in my life, I am grateful. I am currently sitting in front of my beautiful fireplace and writing this — savoring and living in the moment. I look at that fire, and I smile, despite my loving Chocolate Labrador, Ginger, making harmonious noise. I look into the fire one more time, recognizing the fire within me, that I know that I am not the same person I was three years ago when I would literally lay down on the hard, wooden floor, smoke from the fire filling my lungs, mind filled with so much uncertainty about whether or not to transfer colleges. Well, look where I am now!

Long story short: the past is the past. The future will come — don’t fear it nor think about it [too much.] The present is seriously a present. 🎁 Savor it, love it, live in it. Don’t question it. End of story.

What are you grateful for in the present? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

April 💕