Manifest positive things: These gratitude diaries help

Manifest positive things: These gratitude diaries help

Tips from the expert
Happier life through gratitude diaries – is that possible?






A gratitude diary is intended to help manifest positive things from everyday life. The star spoke to a Hamburg psychologist about the sense and nonsense of this measure.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), around 20 out of 100 people suffer from depression or a chronic depressive mood at least once in their lives. And this is becoming apparent in Germany. At 9.2 percent, the proportion of depressive symptoms here is higher than the EU average – which is 6.6 percent. Only in Luxembourg, Sweden and Portugal are depressive symptoms more common among the population. People want to promote their happiness through mindfulness methods, such as keeping a gratitude diary. Graduate psychologist Christine Geschke reveals whether this is possible star-Interview.

Gratitude diary: This is what the psychologist says about it

Geschke is a consultant and therapist in Hamburg. She studied psychology and neurology. Her focus is on clinical psychology and cognitive neuroscience. The therapist knows how people perceive and process signals from the environment. She also knows who should stay away from gratitude diaries.

Ms. Geschke, we all know those bad days: They start with an unfortunate mishap, such as spilled coffee. And then the worm is often in there. One mistake follows another. Just not my day or my imagination?
Geschke: You have the feeling that the worm is in there. The impression that everything is going wrong. And once that’s there, you attribute everything to the negative attitude. You put filters over your consciousness. And then only what is negative comes through. The positive is no longer registered. Although many positive events may happen.

And then a gratitude diary comes into play.
That would be a nice measure in this example. You could check in the evening whether the day was really that bad. Sometimes it happens that one feels terribly unfairly treated by fate. A reality check in can help. This is particularly important today. By constantly comparing yourself, for example via social media. Everyone puts only the best of themselves forward. You quickly get the impression that you are at a disadvantage and that you don’t feel as great as the others. And this creates dissatisfaction. For exactly these people it is important to check and put things into perspective. Then you quickly realize: I’m actually not feeling that bad. This works under certain conditions.

Star product tips

Products, deals & tips

Subscribe to our product tips newsletter here

Which?
The prerequisite is that you can put things right again by becoming aware of the positive parts of life. Sometimes that just can’t happen. Namely, when there are serious problems. In the worst case, there are traumas, strokes of fate and depression. And then it doesn’t primarily help to turn to the positive. Then the whole thing runs the risk of the painful parts of life not being appreciated. Or not be taken seriously. And that is important.

Should people with mental illnesses stay away from gratitude journals?
If someone is mentally ill or has serious problems, it doesn’t help. Then you need professional support, for example psychotherapy. But it’s a nice method to turn the perspective of slightly dissatisfied people back into the positive. It helps to perceive yourself and the outside world better. However, you should also be careful not to put yourself under pressure. It can be easy to force yourself to be grateful by journaling. It’s okay if that’s not the case.

Tip: You can find further book recommendations from the editorial team on our topic page.

Gratitude diary: What specific questions should I ask myself?

There are now professionally developed concepts. For example this . However, if you just want to get started, you can sit down in the evening before going to bed and review the day. You could specifically become aware of three situations for which you are grateful. These can also be simple connections. Maybe: that someone smiled at you; that something worked; that you still got an appointment even though everything spoke against it. Simple things like this can put a smile on your face. Or that give you a positive feeling.

What about diaries where people write down their frustrations?
It can be recommended, but it doesn’t have to be. You externalize what moves you internally. Means: You write down unpleasant things that have happened to you, take it out of yourself. At best, it no longer torments you internally. It is then written in black and white on a piece of paper. This is a facilitation process. And if you understand it that way, it can be negative be useful.

How is it for you? Do you keep a gratitude journal?
I probably often didn’t have the time and sometimes didn’t have the discipline to write something down regularly in the evenings. That’s why I’ve gotten into the habit of mentally reviewing the day before falling asleep and highlighting the pleasant parts. This helps me personally a lot to fall asleep with a good feeling.

Do you have suicidal thoughts?

Telephone counseling offers help. It is anonymous, free and available around the clock on 0 800 / 111 0 111 and 0 800 / 111 0 222. Advice via email is also possible. A list of nationwide help centers can be found on the .

Source used:

*This article contains so-called affiliate links to products in online shops. If a user clicks on it and buys something, the publisher receives a commission from the retailer, not the manufacturer. There is more information about this .

Source: Stern

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts