The gratitude project

I really believe in the importance of mental health. Especially now, it’s something that we should all be prioritising while we’re stripped of our usual routine and methods to de-stress. A wonderful friend, and a fantastic writer, Millie has started ‘The Gratitude Project’ on her blog Chaotic Blonde Press. It’s a movement hoping to involve anyone who wants to take part in talking about what they’re grateful for while we’re all in lockdown coping with the coronavirus. Please join in!

Gratitude is not something I've thought about a lot. I more often complain about what’s going wrong than recognising and celebrating what’s going right. It’s easy to focus on the negatives. They tend to be more glaring, hard to ignore, poking at your brain shouting ‘LOOK AT HOW BAD THIS IS’. Especially now.

But because of that, I decided at the beginning of this month to write down gratitude’s for each day in my planner. I thought this would be a good way to stay positive, focus on what’s going well despite everything else. Every night I write down what I’m grateful for; the sunshine, video games, my dogs, my family, singing birds, managing to do a workout class, yummy food. So when I saw this project, it really reinforced the importance of noticing what’s going right.

I would love if you could all join in on Millie’s gratitude project and write down 5 things you are grateful for today, this month, or in general. Share them on your blog or Instagram, or wherever you like, and submit them to Millie via:

Instagram: chaoticblondepress OR milliecarryeah

Email: chaoticblondepress@gmail.com

Or Millie’s Facebook messenger

For more info on this project, click here to read more on Millie's blog.

Here are 5 things I have been grateful for, since I've started self-isolating:

1. My loved ones.

This includes my family, my partner, my dogs, my housemates, my friends, and all the wonderful people at OTG. I’m so grateful for what they all bring to my life. I haven’t seen some of them for weeks, but keeping in touch online has meant so much to me.

2. The outdoors.

I’m so grateful to have a garden, I know not everyone has that luxury so I’m really trying to not take it for granted. I love soaking up the sunshine, playing with my dogs, sitting on the grass, hearing the birds sing.

3. Therapy.

I’m realising how many coping skills and techniques I’ve been using to ride this out. Controlling my brain can be hard sometimes, so I’m genuinely proud of myself for how I’ve been able to handle things. There’s still room for improvement, and this is definitely testing me, but I’m trying. Checking in with my therapist regularly is helping me too, so I’m really grateful for that opportunity.

4. New hobbies.

I might not be spending as much time on uni work or exercising as I should be, but I’m really into watercolour painting right now. I’ve been drawing or painting almost every day, and I think I’m slowly getting better! I’m also spending more time cooking, baking, playing games, and watching tv shows. Last semester I was feeling really overwhelmed with how much I had to do and how little time I had to relax, but I guess now I have all the time in the world. Even though the situation itself is stressful, it’s nice to be allowed to do nothing for a bit.

5. The things I take for granted.

My health, my access to resources, my garden, essential workers, the NHS, the fact that I can afford to self-isolate. There are plenty of people out there who are scared, mourning, lonely, at risk, or forced to break government recommendations because they simply can’t afford to live otherwise. Remember that it’s okay to feel upset about the plans that can’t go ahead anymore, that you can’t see your friends and family, or that something you’ve really been looking forward to is cancelled. This isn’t all rainbows, and it’s completely valid to feel sad or anxious. Please check up on your friends, check in with yourself, donate to causes and charities if you can, and stay safe.

And if you're an essential worker, thank you so much for your brave work!