Last year was a really tough year for me, it was a roller coaster of emotions, I was lost and confused, didn’t know where I was headed, where life was going. It’s not a new place, most people have been there at some point or the other, I’ve been there a couple of times in this lifetime and yet it was tough.
I felt depressed or what I thought was depression. I didn’t feel like doing anything, I went through the day doing things because I had to, not because I wanted to, I had a long face all the time, I snapped a lot, or cried easy. But along with all this there was also a little voice in my head saying ‘common girl, snap out of this, don’t get sucked in’.
And so, on my good days I tried to find ways to get out of it, i found things to do that made me happy, friends to support me and listen to me, activities and things to help me forward. In my searching I found the Gratitude Journal. An app to record things I am grateful for, and I made it a rule to log at least one thing there everyday [I did miss a lot, but I did add a lot too :) ]
If you are wondering if this is a helpful activity, in her book Thrive, Arianna Huffington says,
“According to a study by researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Florida, having participants write down a list of positive events at the close of a day — and why the events made them happy — lowered their self-reported stress levels and gave them a greater sense of calm at night.”
Read more about The Benefits of a Gratitude Journal on Huffington Post.
What the Gratitude Journal App’s supposed to do
The Gratitude Journal is a simple app, easy to use. It allows you to make notes, so you can write what you want, it can be short or long, it can be simple or complex, it can be anything. You can also add photos.
It has a reminder option that allows you to choose when to be reminded. It syncs with the cloud so your notes don’t get lost when you change phones. You can set a PIN so, no one can access your journal but you. There is also an option to export your entries.
How I’m using the Gratitude Journal App
I’ve been using the app for about a year now, though I’ve missed a lot of days in-between or maybe even a month or two but I’ve found it makes a difference when I use it regularly. Being grateful for what I had, made me happier and helped fight the depression.
Over time, it’s nice to go back and look at what I’ve listed out. It’s a nice way to revisit the past year and with this journal there are a lot of happy memories even through a difficult year.
My thoughts on the Gratitude Journal App
The Gratitude Journal is one of those apps I highly recommend. It’s really helpful, simple and makes a difference to your life and well being. It’s like that memories jar, where you put in a note every time you are grateful for something, or something made you really happy and then at the end of the year (or when you are down in the dumps) you go through all your notes, this one though is virtual. :)
App details and link
Stars - ★★★★★
Developer - Vista Media
Devices - Android
Size - Varies with device
Installs - 100,000 - 500,000
Link - Android Store
***This app is available only on Android but there a lot of other Gratitude apps available for iPhones too. Just search. :)
Ooooh, I could definitely use this one! I am always open to new ways of relieving stress, and at the end of the spring semester, I sorely need them too... :D Thanks!
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The Multicolored Diary
MopDog
You are most welcome Csenge :)
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