Tales from Burkeland Tale 11
Sunlight streams through my office window, and skitch skitch skitch is the only sound as sparrows dig through birdseed in the feeder outside. I sit sipping my tea, journal open, enjoying a quiet moment before I put pen to paper and write three things I’m grateful for.
When I heard about gratitude journals, I rolled my eyes. Hard. Could making a gratitude list really ease depression and anxiety? The first time I tried one, no, it didn’t. I felt silly and stopped. But I treated it like something to check off my to-do list rather than as a tool to help me embody gratitude as an emotion. When I picked the habit back up earlier this year, I was more intentional. This time, it worked.
I did a deep dive into the psychology of gratitude in this month’s Remember You Shine article, but I’ll summarize it here. At its core, gratitude is thankfulness. It’s recognizing the people, places, events, and personal traits that contribute to your wellbeing and sitting with the fullness they bring to your heart. As you do, the practice activates parts of your brain associated with processing rewards and emotional awareness. Overtime, your nervous system rewires your nervous system toward contentedness, emotional regulation, and resilience. And since mental and physical health are connected, health conditions associated with stress may improve, too.
While I wouldn’t say it changed my life, taking time each morning to write three (usually pretty mundane) things I’m grateful for has improved my overall well-being. Now it sets the tone for my day, and I notice when I skip it. This month, I thought I’d share an author-focused gratitude list. Here it is:
Things I’m Grateful for on my Author Journey
- The amazing community I’ve found in Apex-Writers, the Midwest Writers Guild, and the Wulf Pack Writers Group.
- My fantastic critique partners, mentors, and editor.
- Flame Tree Publishing for giving me my first story sale with “Rise of the Witches” in Circe.
- Myself, for deciding my creativity and dream of being an author is worth it.
- All my readers! It’s so surreal that I have a fanbase for my fiction. Thank you all for joining me on this journey.
I could go on, but just like in my morning practice, I must stop somewhere.
Thanks for reading this month’s Tales from Burkeland!
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What you missed in this month’s newsletter:
From the Drafts — Quote Without Context
Remember You Shine — The Psychology of Gratitude
Myths and Magic — American Colonial Superstitions
From My Shelf — The Flare Chronicles: Into the Blaze by Ryan Null