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It is safe to say that this year has been a difficult one. I’ve found it hard not only being able to see my family and friends, but the lack of routine, there has been times this year when days, weekends, and months have seemed like they have rolled into one. That’s where my journal has been so important and in particular the act of mindful daily reflections through simply asking myself – what am I grateful for today? Well, the Adbra Gratitude Planner makes this whole process more focused.
Journalling for me is a stress-reliever and research suggests that the simple act of writing down the things for which we’re grateful for has numerous benefits including better sleep and more happiness, as well as relieving stress and generally introducing healthier habits. Having a dedicated Gratitude Journal makes it easy to get started and can help encourage mental wellbeing through a series of daily reflection and mindfulness activities.
If like me, you’ve been scribbling in your daily bullet journal using your own gratitude prompts, this isn’t wrong, and I’m a great believer of, if it has been working for you that’s all that matters. However, if you are new to journalling, or what to combine gratitude journalling with goal setting and planning for overall better wellbeing, the Adbra Gratitude Planner is a great proactive starting point.
Getting started with your Gratitude Planner
The un-dated gratitude planner is laid out with daily, weekly and fortnightly prompts based on 12 focus areas to grow mental resilience – sleeping, alone time, mindfulness and meditation, self-kindness, healthy eating, exercise, time with family, time with friends, work, helping others, having fun, and personal growth. These ‘growth areas’ take shape throughout the planner through recurring reviews that track your progress.
The planner is structured in a 14-day cycle. You complete the daily journalling for six days of the week, then on the seventh, you reflect on the week in a ‘weekly review’, which I think works well at the weekend. Then every two weeks you track how you are doing against the 12 ‘growth areas’. Here you take stock of how you feel across all areas of your life, reflect on areas that improved and areas that are still a working progress, as well as plan ahead to the next two weeks.
The art of gratitude
The introduction to the planner has a lot of useful information on how gratitude is fundamental to maintaining wellbeing and help on discovering the tools and techniques that will work best for you. Such as how to use positive affirmations, developing a growth attitude to allow yourself the ability to learn and grow, as well as setting and monitoring SMART Goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound goals.
Getting started begins with the Initial Review, developed to establish a baseline of where you are now. What I would say about this section, take your time, be truthful to yourself, as well as be kind. I did mine over a few days, I found it difficult to get going, but once in the flow, I found it helpful as this acts as the start of your gratitude journey and allows you to do a before and after comparison.
One thing that stood out for me about this section was how useful it was for understanding the 12 ‘growth areas’, as each is linked to further explanation throughout the journal. It is important to get to grips with these as it is the building blocks of the journal. The initial review also placed positive emphasis on prioritise areas I wanted to work on, like exercise and self-kindness, as seeing 12 areas can be a little overwhelming.
Nothing is too big or too small, if you feel grateful for it then add it to your daily reflections
The thing to know straight off when keeping a gratitude journal is there is no right and wrong answer. You don’t have to be a wordsmith – your daily reflections are supposed to be brief – just a single sentence. For instance, sometimes I just write – I am grateful for the weather, I am grateful for my daily walk or I am grateful for a cuddle from my dog.
Plus, important to note, you don’t have to journal every day if you don’t want to – there is no judgement. When people ask me how I use my journal every day, I simply tell them that’s my rhythm, everyone has to find their own. You might be someone who uses it on weekdays, where you can fit it into your working routine, and skip out on weekends, or you might be someone who prefers once a week reflections, or a couple of times a month.
What I would say is don’t be too hard on yourself – don’t force it – going through the motions isn’t going to have any benefits to your health and wellbeing. I feel that journalling only works when I’m motivated and proactive.
When it comes to using the daily planner – I like the simplicity of the layout. You add the date, circle the day of the week and use the top sections ‘To Do’ and ‘Notes’ for appointments and tasks, and then the bottom is dedicated to mindful gratitude. You then answer two questions: What are you grateful for today? What are you grateful for in your life?
There is something special about documenting positive moments – the only thing I would have loved to have is a scrapbook area – somewhere to draw, add a photograph or stick in a special memory. I suppose that’s the bullet journal in me – I find adding a creative element grounding.
Review of Adbra Gratitude Planner
I have had many gratitude planners over the years and what stands out for Adbra has to be the detailed reviews, I quite like the weekly and fortnightly approach, monthly always seems so long. By keeping the self-assessment flowing consistently, it has a more holistic feel and for me, it seemed to allow me to make more positive progress on my feel-good goals. As well as allow me to address areas of my life that I need to place more attention and energy on. The reviews are a therapeutic approach that allows me to not get too overwhelmed.
Just remember, this planner works for you, your wellbeing, your mindfulness, so, if you prefer the daily prompts and a monthly review, do that. Just because there are pages doesn’t mean they all need to be completed!
I also liked that it has a 12-month undated calendar as part of the planner. If this is your only planner that is needed, if like me you have many, I have started adding what I call positive plans – such as holidays, seeing friends, day trips, and visiting family. I just find that its location at the back is a little forgotten, the calendar doesn’t start until page 261, I wish it was I wish it laid out more like a diary. But an easy way to keep track is to place a paperclip in the current month, so it is quick and easy to flick to.
Other features include a notes section, a pocket at the back, as well as stickers to use throughout the reviews, and access to e-books via a QR code for further reflection on the key growth areas. I also think it is great quality for the £20 price tag, and it comes packaged beautifully in a box, making it a great gift.
The Gratitude Planner is available from adbra.co.uk and amazon.co.uk/adbra for £20 and comes in four pastel colours.
