Eduhonesty: Are you tired, reader? Maybe even anxious or depressed? Evidence suggests gratitude journals can help. Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration (berkeley.edu), Gratitude Journaling Is Good For Your Mental Health And Maybe Physical Health To : Shots – Health News : NPR

Exhausted teachers and anyone else who wants off this spaceship — I suggest you make a gratitude journal. It doesn’t have to be all gratitude. It’s YOUR journal, a one and only. Random art and self-exploration can make the day better too.

But throw in the “Today I am thankful for… stuff along the way. The improved speed and efficiency of the DMV made up for its weirdness, for example. What’s good? What worked? Did Zeke produce a few great metaphors for his latest assignment? Are the kids adapting well to in-person learning? If not enough is working, I suggest finding a recipe and making a success, like triple ginger cookies or breakfast pumpkin bars.

Gratitude journals help us frame and reframe our reality. Those journals can be easy, too. If you are too swamped to even think about cutting up paper and pulling out the paints, then a few quick lines with a pen work fine. I like physical journals but this could easily be done as a Word or even Excel document.

Hugs from the Blue Room, Jocelyn