I’ve been reading and learning a lot recently about gratitude journaling. It’s a practice of writing down the things that you’re grateful for in a journal. I’ve read that doing this activity on a daily basis has many benefits (see these 7 scientifically proven benefits of gratitude…). One that stood out for me was the fact that gratitude reciprocates-its a gift that keeps on giving.
Does that sound familiar?
Here’s what Allah tells us in Surat Ibrahim [14:7]
Subhan Allah! We come across so many verses in the Quran that talk about the benefits of gratitude, how to be grateful and why to be grateful. For example,
In Chapter 55 of the Quran, titled “The Lord of Mercy,” God asks the same question thirty-one times, “Which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?” God has created us and then made this world for us. We are getting benefits from all of His creations such as the sun, moon, clouds, rain, air, grasslands, animals, plants, rivers, oceans and countless other bounties of the natural world! After realizing all this abundance, how can a sensible person be anything but thankful to God?
What is gratitude?
It’s that emotion you feel when someone gives you something that you perceive as valuable.
Alhamdulilah!
These are the words that we’ve been taught to say when we feel grateful. However, we’ve been saying them so many times throughout the day that they’ve lost their meaning.
I believe that that’s where gratitude journaling can help get us back on track.
Start by writing down 3 things you’re grateful for each morning, and why. This will help you think deep so you can generate the feeling of gratitude. Avoid just listing things. The more you elaborate on why you’re grateful for that thing, the better you’ll feel.
I’m still new to this but here’s an example:
Alhamdulilah I’m grateful for my home that shelters me from harm and provides me with a canvas to practice my decorating skills (Hey, I’m an interior decorator after all :)).
Let’s commit to writing in our gratitude journal each morning so we can train our mind to look for the blessings in our lives. This is in itself a blessing. It will reciprocate in this dunia (life) as well as in the akhera (hereafter) insha’Allah.
What are you grateful for?
Why are you grateful for that?
How do you feel when you think about that?
I’d love to know your thoughts about the gratitude journal and what things you’re grateful for. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
P.S.
If you need a reminder, we have a stencil that you could use to paint directly on the wall or to create artwork with.
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