Ten years ago, when Jim and I moved to London for his job, I experienced some level of angst while figuring out what to do next in my career. As amazing as it was to have some time off to explore a new place, I found it challenging to be in a period of transition.

A daily habit I started back then and found really helpful was gratitude journaling.

• At the beginning of the day: I wrote something I was looking forward to or an intent for the day.
• At the end of the day: I wrote something I was grateful for, something positive that happened or something I did well.

This habit took just a few minutes per day and I could really feel a change in my mindset from negative to positive. I also found that it shifted my focus from my incomplete to-do list each day to small accomplishments or other things that I could feel good about.

When I started working full time again my routine changed and I fell out of this habit… maybe I didn’t feel like I needed it anymore; maybe I just got lazy. Who knows? What I do know is that starting and ending my day with gratitude was awesome for my mental health! I’ve decided to pick it back up this weekend and I invite you to join me.

What could a daily dose of gratitude do for you?