Queen Bee Challenge, Month 2: Cultivating Positivity with Gratitude Journaling and Raw Honey
Felipe Cabral
Welcome to month two of the 2024 Queen Bee 12-month challenge to transform your whole self
through inspirational reading and reflective exercises. Last month we embarked on increasing knowledge through books - this month is about cultivating gratitude. Starting a gratitude journal can greatly improve your mental health and mindset by focusing your thoughts on the positive. Why not start this 30-day challenge with a cup of tea sweetened with raw honey? The natural sweetness is the perfect complement to bringing more gratitude and positivity into your life.
The Power of Gratitude
Gratitude involves acknowledging and appreciating people and things that bring value to our lives. Regularly cultivating and expressing gratitude builds resilience. Studies show gratitude practices strengthen neural pathways in the brain related to joyfulness and contentment. Other benefits include reduced anxiety, increased enthusiasm and optimism, and improved self-esteem.
A gratitude journal helps develop a constant gratitude practice. Writing down specific things you are grateful for each day, however small, trains your mind to tune into positive aspects of life. Even on difficult days, journaling a few things like "I'm grateful for my cozy bed" or "I appreciate the smell of fresh rain" allows your focus to shift to blessings rather than staying mired in negativity. Over time, this naturally boosts your ability to cope with stress, connect more authentically with others, and feel more confident, hopeful and content from within.
First Challenge Recap
Last month's challenge focused on reading for personal growth. Books introduce new ideas that spark inner shifts. Key takeaways include noting concepts that resonate, rereading passages, and discussing insights with others. Have you been able to do this?
Benefits of Keeping a Gratitude Journal
Mental Health Benefits
Practicing gratitude daily enhances mindfulness and presence. Tuning into positive aspects counterbalances negativity bias.
Journaling grateful moments, intentions, and affirmations can dramatically boost moods. Choosing an uplifting perspective becomes habitual.
Like forming any habit, reflecting on gratitude strengthens neural pathways relating to positive emotions, attitudes, and behaviors.
How to Start a Gratitude Journal
Steps to Begin
Set a soothing ambiance in the morning by lighting a candle or sipping some tea sweetened with HNY Raw Honey. Open your journal.
Consider using a format like the Five-Minute Journal with prompts for positive aspects of yesterday, today's intentions, etc.
Pick a dedicated physical journal you enjoy writing in or use a digital journal app to always have it available.
Tips for Maintaining Your Gratitude Journal
Designate a dedicated spot where you will write in your journal each day. Maybe it's at your kitchen table next to your tea station, or outside in your garden nook. Linking a specific location with your new routine makes you more likely to stick with it.
Ensure to choose a realistic time when you can pause to be fully present. Whether it's right when you wake up, on your lunch break, or before bedtime with your favourite cup of tea, aim to journal at the same time of day. Consistency is key. Set reminders on your phone if you tend to get forgetful!
You can also invite friends to join this 30-day challenge with you for some motivational accountability. My bestie and I have a virtual "Gratitude Hour" video call once a week which keeps me fired up. Share your entries, pep each other on, and watch the shift in your mindsets together. The point is, instead of vague "I'll get around to it whenever" plans, be really intentional. Reflect on when and where you can devote your full focus. This transforms journaling from just another task to a special self-care productive ritual.
Gratitude Journal Prompts
A. Varied Reflections
Make note of something that brought you a spark of surprise joy recently. Get specific about the sights, smells, textures, tastes. Like, "The tart lemon cookie I tried at the new bakery flooded my mouth with summer memories of playing outside with my friends as a kid."
Recall an act of kindness you performed or received. Describe the positive emotions you felt - where you noticed warmth in your chest or a smile you couldn't contain. Putting words to the bodily sensations grounds the heartfelt experience even more.
B. Keywords
What surprised me, focus on senses.
See, the prompts don't need to be anything elaborate! The important thing is tuning into the sensory nuances of even small, everyday moments. Did you notice how the setting sunlight casted gorgeous shadows on your morning walk? Include that! Hear a bird's melody that lifted your mood? Jot it down! Taste the sweet tartness of a ripe peach that left you feeling content? Describe the juicy goodness!
Getting precise about sights, smells, sounds, textures makes the positive memories richer. It also flexes your awareness muscles so you become more attentive to the little delightful details always right in front of you. Over time, this sensory acuity reframes your day-to-day experiences into something more vivid and emotionally textured. Like adding bright poppy paint to a formerly grey concrete cityscape! Pretty awesome right?
Conclusion
As we reflect on the nourishment Raw Honey provides, we're reminded that regularly cultivating gratitude offers its own form of sustenance for our minds. When we journal gratitude, we strengthen neural pathways associated with joy, contentment and resilience - sweet outcomes indeed!
This 30-day challenge requires consistency and commitment as you form a new routine. Yet the rewards unfold quickly as your focus zooms in on blessings and positive emotions grow. Soon your lens shifts and life's beauty feels more palpable and present. We invite you to experience the symbiotic sweetness of Raw Honey and gratitude journaling over the next month. Allow the natural goodness to seep into your days. Notice how positive psychology practices complement nutritional wellness.
At the end of the 30 days, we'd love to hear your key learnings and moments of wonder or joy that emerged through journaling. Please share with us and others in the comments! And if you feel inclined to keep the momentum going through month three's Queen Bee challenge of cultivating optimism, we'll have more reflections to support your uplifting journey!