What would life be like if we could wake up everyday with zero stressors. No more worry, doubt, frustration, sleepless nights or exhaustive days. I think I’ll see a unicorn prancing down the hallway long before I’ll get to relish in a total stress-free day. The worst part of stress is it blocks my visions of hope and optimism. Everything is twice as hard, daily responsibilities are daunting, and my relationships suffer.

I remember on a trip to Disney World when the girls were little, and we were standing in a sea of people trying to watch a stage show in front of the castle. It was hard enough for J and me to see, and for the girls it was basically impossible. They could get a glimpse of a character up on an elevated podium from time to time, but otherwise they were only able to hear the music. This is a common annoyance at Disney for kiddos (and shorties like me.)

At times I feel like my girls at Disney, unable to enjoy life around me, because my view is blocked by a wall of my own stress. In these moments, it’s vital for me to physically stop, sit, and dwell in the land of positive. Even if I only take 60 seconds to do it, I am amazed by how much better I feel from the one minute of therapy I received. I’m able to peek over the wall of bad and see good that God has in store for my day.

It became evident a while back that I needed a constant tangible source of gratitude for my daily stress, so I created a new goal for myself: to start a gratitude journal as a compass that points to positive. It’s a list of people, items, experiences, memories and truths that make me stop and praise God. We’re promised in scripture that we have the right as God’s children to give him our burdens and not wear them like heavy luggage on our shoulders. He takes the burdens, and we get to carry our joy and thanksgiving instead. A pretty great trade, if you ask me!

I chose for this list to live in the Notes app on my smartphone, so that I can constantly add to it and keep with me wherever I go. I can access it on my computer or phone, I can print it off, and I can take a screenshot of it and use it as wallpaper. I did this system for about a month, but when the quarantine started, I switched to a pen and paper journal system to see which one I prefer. I love the process of writing in my journal, but housing it on my smartphone is more convenient to access. I plan on doing both and copying my paper entries into the note saved on my phone. I’m not sure how long my scattered-brain will allow me to keep up with both, and more than likely the electronic list will win out.

After a few months of practice, I highly recommend it to anyone! Create your own list in whichever medium you is most beneficial to you. The point is simply to have a list and spend time dwelling on it daily. If I only have one minute to spare, then I’ll focus on just a few items on the list. I wish I could say that I have made it a rock-solid routine, but my rabbit-chasing brain sometimes prevails. Most days though, I find myself taking nuggets of time to dwell on the good stuff, and my outlook is steadily improving.

In no way do I believe that keeping a gratitude list will eliminate stress in my life. Until the Father grants me life after this broken one, I will feel stress of some kind everyday.

When my girls experienced frustration from their obstructed view at Disney shows, there was a remedy: J and I would lift them up high so they could see, and smiles lit up their faces. They could see past the sea of bodies to the joy awaiting them.

Gratitude elevates!

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7