You have the ability to experience growth, ease, pleasure, and vibrancy in your daily life. Together, we will reinforce your biology and nervous system's naturally arising support and resources available moment-to-moment. Over time with these exercises, your body and mind will be able to process and release stress effortlessly and you will enjoy healthy human pleasure more and more often.
Exercise 8: Satisfaction Journaling
”Pleasure helps the mind and body establish better communication. Through pleasure, we learn to relax and release tension. Impulses then flow freely throughout the whole organism, without fear of suppression. Gradually these impulses create rhythmic, coherent patterns soothing to the whole nervous system” -Anodea Judith
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In the quote above, Anodea Judith beautifully captures the essence of pleasure’s transformative power. Below we will explore how pleasure and satisfaction journaling can be a gentle yet profound tool for enhancing relaxation, emotional balance, and creating fulfilling routines.
Experiencing satisfaction throughout the day plays a significant role in regulating dopamine and serotonin levels. When these hormones are available we experience a steady mood and sense of well-being throughout the day. These hormones can become dysregulated if you've become habituated into the hustle lifestyle, struggle with pacing yourself with tasks, or experience overstimulation. |
This exercise can support you by bringing more awareness to the support that comes when experiencing satisfaction with your tasks, routines, and interactions.
This exercise was inspired by a mindfulness cognitive behavioral therapy intervention called the pleasurable events calendar.
What are other feeling words that you associate with “satisfaction?"
Be on the look out for people, places, and things that evoke these feelings day-to-day.
Plan for pleasure (How can you plan for a pleasurable encounter today?)
Reflecting on spontaneous/surprising satisfaction (Reflect on your day and write a time where you experienced a feeling related to satisfaction but you did not necessarily plan for this to happen)
What are you grateful for today?
This exercise was inspired by a mindfulness cognitive behavioral therapy intervention called the pleasurable events calendar.
What are other feeling words that you associate with “satisfaction?"
Be on the look out for people, places, and things that evoke these feelings day-to-day.
Plan for pleasure (How can you plan for a pleasurable encounter today?)
Reflecting on spontaneous/surprising satisfaction (Reflect on your day and write a time where you experienced a feeling related to satisfaction but you did not necessarily plan for this to happen)
What are you grateful for today?