Sunday Journal Prompt

 “Taking the time to focus on what you are thankful for, letting that sense of gratitude wash over you—this helps us manage and cope.”

– Paul Mills, professor of family medicine and public health at the UCSD School of Medicine

In a study conducted at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Professor Paul Mills tested 40 patients and noted biological indications of heart disease such as inflammation and heart rhythm. After that, half of the patients kept a journal most days of the week, writing about two or three things they were grateful for. “People wrote about everything, from appreciating children to being grateful for spouses, friends, pets, travel, jobs and even good food,” reports Patti Neighmond in an NPR article on the study.

Two months later, the journal-keeping patients had lower inflammation levels and improved heart rhythms, resulting in reduced risk for heart disease. Mills believes that journaling about what we’re grateful for reduces stress, which is a huge risk factor in heart disease.

What are you grateful for?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“DECIDE WHAT TO BE AND GO BE IT.”

 

– Written on the side of a building on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles.

 

For years we’ve heard “Just do it” from Nike ads. But the message “Decide what to be and go be it” goes a step further: We get to decide. You get to decide. Other people may have a vision of who you are or who you are expected to be: parents, partners, friends, acquaintances, even children. Yet it’s exhausting to try to be whom we do not want to be. By choosing for ourselves, we breathe new energy into our pursuits. It’s in your hands.

Whom do you want to be?

How can you go be that person?

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Are you on your own team?”

 – Koren Motekaitis, podcaster

 

 

Even when we have a cheer section rooting for us, sometimes we work against ourselves. When a loved one encourages me to take a leap, my voice of doubt often trumps it: I’m not good enough, smart enough, creative enough, _______ enough. I find myself spouting off all the reasons why I can’t and shouldn’t accomplish the thing I want to do.

 

It helps to work toward my goal on a regular basis—to schedule it as a priority rather than let other responsibilities take over. When I let something else consume that time, bitterness and resentment fester—reinforcing my desire to keep my date with myself to work toward what I want. By committing time regularly, I begin to erode the voice of doubt and join my own team.

 

What steps can you take to join your own team?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Excuses are the bricks that build the house of failure.”

 

– Mrs. Weirich

 

 

Veteran second-grade teacher Mrs. Weirich said this to my son Alex, a gifted boy who had mastered excuses to avoid doing more than the bare minimum. He’s 15 now and still considers Mrs. Weirich his favorite teacher. She was on to him and knew he was capable of more than he was giving.

What excuses are you giving to others or telling yourself? How are they holding you back?

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”   

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

Often we blame others for our unrest. Have you heard yourself say phrases like these? “She drives me crazy when she _____________.” “I hate it when __________.” “I wish he would _____________.” I’m not saying that what other people do isn’t annoying or frustrating, but we are the ones who determine how we react—externally and internally.

When I don’t take care of myself, my defenses are down. That’s when I’m most likely to get bent out of shape by the behaviors of others. I let external factors alter my sense of peace. But when I go to bed early (which enables me to awaken on my own without an alarm), eat wisely (avoiding sugar and processed food), practice yoga, read inspiring literature, write in my journal and meditate daily, I am fortified. I can better weather life’s annoyances, promoting peace within myself and sharing it with those around me.

 

What’s one way you can promote peace for yourself today?