To not keep a flipping ‘gratitude journal’

[Eastie77Returns]

New manager at work, from the US if that’s relevant, declared a few weeks back that she thought it would a great idea for the team to start keeping a gratitude journal. Not my cup of tea at all but I was wasn’t bothered as it was optional. Then journals arrived at our home addresses in the post, she’d ordered them for everyone

On our weekly team meetings she started asking volunteers to read journal entries aloud. When no-one volunteered, she picked people. A few colleagues ‘read’ clearly made up on the spot entries. When it was my turn I just said I’m not keeping the journal. I’m grateful for many things but I don’t write them down. She didn’t look happy and I’ve heard I’m now on her shit list for not being a team player or something. WIBU??!

@MrsToothyBitch

Oh *@saraclara* that's dreadful. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that.

Good luck with the house buying OP. Was one of the most stressful things I've ever done and people giving consoling look on the bright side type advice (from the comfort of their own, purchased homes) rather than just letting me be stressed/crossed and support me through actual problems just fucked me off no end. I just wanted to give them all a smack in the chops.

Back to the problem at hand though, if going through the journals is on the work agenda and the team aren't happy about it, you definitely all need to feed that back. Also, is filling on the journals on work time or your time? Expecting you to fill them in on your own time to read out at work is really cheeky!

Another song for your journal, too: thank you for the daaaaaays....

Yes. One friend who is safely ensconced in her purchased home makes soothing noises and chuckles when I talk about the latest fuck up in my saga and then offer sage advice about looking for the positives: you can’t control your vendor’s behaviour so make peace with it (I know that but can you at least let me moan about her and agree she’s a witch), you’re lucky you’re in a position to buy, try a mindfulness colouring book…

No one is allowed to actually be pissed off and wallow for a bit because it’s unhealthy and there’s always someone worse off. Finding the positives in everything is paramount. I mean just why? Sometimes an entire situation is just SHIT.

I'm grateful that this morning, I saw a Doe - a deer, a female deer.

I'm grateful that it stopped raining and on my face fell a Ray, a drop of golden sun.

I reckon you can work out the rest from here...

I'm grateful for
Air traffic controllers

How about a bit of Dido?

IIIIIII IIIIIIII want to tha-ank you,
For giving me the best days of my liiiiiife.
Oh, just to be with you,
Is having the best day of my life.

Yes, I'm thankful for the Lord above
The gift of His unending love
The promise kept that there is something more
These are the things I'm thankful for

I'm so grateful for my new comfortable animal slippers - I really love my tiger feet.

Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing

I'm grateful for the storm
Made me appreciate the sun
I'm grateful for the wrong ones
Made me appreciate the right ones
I'm grateful for the pain
For everything that made me break
I'm thankful for all my scars
'Cause they only make my heart
Grateful

I would have fun with it, as others have suggested. Find an obscure song or poem and have fun reading out a line at a time. I would be cringing so hard if this happened to me, tbh, but that's what I would do.

For the gladness here where the sun is shining at
evening on the weeds at the river,
Our prayer of thanks.

For the laughter of children who tumble barefooted and
bareheaded in the summer grass,
Our prayer of thanks.

For the sunset and the stars, the women and the white
arms that hold us,
Our prayer of thanks.

@HermioneGrangersHair

I think I’d just play along each day...just to piss her off

I am grateful that someone invented Jaffa cakes
I’m grateful that Pet Shop Boys are still touring
I’m grateful that we know who shot JR
I’m grateful that diamonds are a girls best friend
I’m grateful my Dc are now potty trained
Etc

Who shot JR - I love it. You could have fun with that. Pick stories from any tv series/ soap or whatever. 'I'm grateful that x didn't die in Eastenders'...

"I am grateful that we are meeting online and not in person as forced happiness makes me want to rip someone's head off and shit down their neck. And I'd probably go to prison for that."

@Monopolyiscrap

Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing Thanks for all the joy they're bringing

Love it 😁

I'm thankful the music
I'm thankful for the songs I'm singing
I'm thankful for the joy I'm bring

Or, all the colours from Joseph...

I'm grateful for red, orange, yellow, green, brown etc..

@FrankGrillosFloof

How about a bit of Dido?

IIIIIII IIIIIIII want to tha-ank you,
For giving me the best days of my liiiiiife.
Oh, just to be with you,
Is having the best day of my life.

I’m afraid I read that as “how about a bit of dildo?”I didn’t question it from a gratitude perspective but I did think it would be a difficult one to read out to colleagues and the lyrics confused me; I thought the “liiiiiffffe” was some sort of vibration thing - all a bit awkward in the work environment.

I have now put my glasses on so apologies @FrankGrillosFloof

God she sounds like a pain in the arse.

This from upthread sums it up best, I think:

nothing wrong with being deeply cynical about contrived pop psychology foisted on the unwilling as an attempt to tick some corporate wanky idea of “improving the workplace”. It’s infantilising, intrusive, and insulting.

Lots of funny suggestions on here though .

@Frannibananni

I read the tittle of the post and thought for sure it would be about a teacher requesting 6year olds to do this as homework and even then I thought what a crap idea. Honestly I would just say no thank you and do the cold stare.

I remember someone saying that when 'sharing the peace' was introduced at his church & the other person sitting on his pew turned to him, he simply said, "No thank you, I'm British," & that was that.

I remember someone saying that when 'sharing the peace' was introduced at his church & the other person sitting on his pew turned to him, he simply said, "No thank you, I'm British," & that was that.

I'm presuming the church wasn't in Glasgow? Everybody would have heard 'share the piece' and been expecting to get a big bite of your sandwich!!

Have you considered sobbing gently, and announcing that "It's just...it's too...triggering!"?

Buffet - No, he was terribly English. Wish I could remember who it was.

@nocoolnamesleft

Have you considered sobbing gently, and announcing that "It's just...it's too...triggering!"?

I can’t risk it, manager would probably book me in for a 1-1 ‘healing time’ session or something equally hideous.

She is a mental health first aider within the company. No idea what that involves but it seems to be very en vogue in my industry at the moment. I’ve seen a few people in my network post self congratulatory messages on LinkedIn stating that they’ve qualified as one of these first aiders.

I'm grateful that my cat didn't shit in the litter tray at 3am waking me up with her stinking message.

I'm grateful my womaniser vibrator is rechargeable and not an obscure battery.

I'm grateful that the people buried in my garden haven't been reported missing.

My husband's place of work has mental first aiders. It seems fraught with problems, to me. If anything went wrong, who would get sued? The company? The first aider? Plus, is it right to put the stress of looking after someone onto ordinary staff? What if someone talks about inappropriate things, or becomes dependent? Or does a first aider just act as a signpost person & tell them where to find help? What if the first aider is a jerk & tells everyone or uses it against the person needing help?

Mental first aider? WTAF