The Ugnayan ng Pahinungod University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) conducted a webinar-workshop on Gratitude Art Journaling last 31 March 2022. Ms. Jestine Crhistia V. Gatdula, Senior Office Assistant of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UPOU, served as the resource person. The initiative was part of the Stress Reduction Technique Series launched by the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UPOU Committee on Psychosocial Emergency Services (CoPES).
The workshop was designed “to provide a stress reduction technique that incorporates having a grateful attitude and expressing it creatively through art journaling” and “to share some insights to the participants in relation to being grateful in the midst of challenges as a healthy way to deal with stress, and do this with each one’s creative expression of self.”
Ms. Jestine Crhistia Gatdula (left) of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UPOU showed the participants the art-journaling steps and procedures (right) during the webinar-workshop on Gratitude Art Journaling.
Ms. Gatdula began the workshop by sharing that it is common and normal for us to feel stressed, and what matters is how we respond to our stressors. She explained that stress can be a catalyst for us to determine our response which can either be fight or flight, to be resourceful, and to think of solutions for our problems. She said that the problem lies however when we don’t have the capacity to manage stress. She declared that art journaling has helped her manage and reduce stress in many aspects of her life. She also tackled gratitude and its definition and meaning to her life. She mentioned that she likes the idea of a grateful person because it suggests that he or she is being thankful and contented for what he or she has.
After a short discussion, Ms. Gatdula showed the steps and provided recommendations in designing and creating a gratitude art journal. She started by identifying the needed materials, such as a notebook or journal, pages of old books or magazines, scratch papers, a pair of scissors, glue or tape, and a pencil or pen. She then cut the used papers by tearing them into different sizes and shapes, and arranged and layered them together with the use of a glue or tape. After pasting everything, she drew some designs and wrote her thoughts on the things that she is grateful for. The participants followed the resource person in creating their own gratitude art journals, which were shown at the end of the activity.
Ms. Gatdula presented her completed art journal, which included her work, her colleagues, the meal she had earlier, and the opportunity to be able to conduct the art journaling workshop as the aspects of her life that she is grateful for. She also included the quote “Gratitude turns what we have into enough” because it reminded her that our stress sometimes is caused by things that we don’t have nor own. She declared that gratitude allows us to learn contentment and lets us pause for a moment so that we appreciate all the things that we have. She reminded the participants that a grateful heart is an important requirement in creating a gratitude art journal.
Some of the participants showing their art journals during the webinar-workshop on Gratitude Art Journaling.
Some of the participants shared their art journals they created during the workshop and the things they are grateful for. One took the opportunity to express his gratitude for his work overseas, family, and friends. Another participant was thankful for letting go of the things that she cannot control. A certain lady shared that her journal reminded her to look at the positive side of the negative things and to use criticisms as an opportunity to become a stronger and more resilient individual. The webinar-workshop ended with a photo opportunity with the participants along with their art journals.
Written by Jaime P Guimbao
Edited by Myra C. Almodiel and Anna Canas-Llamas
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