Food For Thought: a journal for appreciating daily life

Food for Thought is a daily journal that will help you live more appreciatively. Filled with tips, tools and techniques, it is an ideal resource to help you develop an appreciative mindset, support your well being and build your resilience.

Appreciative journaling is based around the idea of noticing and recording the good things in your day. Food for Thought encourages you to develop an appreciative attitude to life, prompting and inspiring you to notice the good things.

This method of positive psychology is becoming increasingly widespread, and has been adopted by the NHS, homeless hostels and the US army, amongst others, to support personal wellbeing.

The tips, tools and techniques you’ll find in Food for Thought can be used at home and at work, helping you focus on life’s positives as you learn to develop your appreciative self, flourish and support your wellbeing.

The journal is a workbook which begins with examples of journaling, simple guidelines exercises and tasks, and inspirational quotes - followed by blank pages for writing, doodling, and sketches - whatever works for you.

The exercises can be used in any way that suits the learner, they include ones to periodically encourage reflection as you progress . Some of the exercises in the guidance can also provide useful "icebreakers exercises" for groups.

People use it to:

• Build their appreciative muscle, support well being and build resilience
• Help themselves focus on life's positives - rather than pitfalls
• Notice the good things in life
• Embed learning about Appreciative Inquiry
• Provide an ongoing, accessible resource and reference about Appreciative Inquiry
• Support learning about Positive Psychology - which has many concrete examples of the benefits of journaling.

BJ Seminars International is the authorised distributor for Food for Thought in Australia and New Zealand. Customers from elsewhere in the world, please contact Appreciating People to ask for the contact details of your local distributor.

Discount available for orders of 20 or more. Contact us for details.

I can think of no more powerful activity for changing your life for the better, than to spend a little time each day with this appreciative journal, finding what's right in your life. This deceptively simple and enjoyable process will transform your life in many ways you can't begin to imagine. (Jackie Kelm, author of Appreciative Living, and from whose work came much inspiration for the guidelines in the journal.)

This journal is deceptively simple….. a few questions, some guidelines and a little background. Yet as it becomes a living document, it becomes a profound piece of learning. (Anne Radford Editor of AI Practitioner)

One of the actions I will take from today is to make time for a reflective journal. I have had many diaries but many of them are full of dates of meetings or tasks to carry out. this realisation came about due to the reflective mode the workshop allowed. Discussions with other members of the group were like a voice of reason without being judgmental or negative. This was helpful as I can be a little negative myself, highlighting the flaws or risks involved in my plan. (Michelle - participant on one of Appreciating People's Positive Transitions courses)