What exactly are beauty logs... and how can you use them?
As we near towards the colder seasons of Fall and Winter, many people are preparing to experience an annual "blues". Seasonal Affective Disorder is common–it doesn't only occur in the cold seasons, but during warm weather too.
According to NHS, symptoms of SAD include "a persistent low mood, a loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities, irritability, feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness , feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day, sleeping for longer than normal and finding it hard to get up in the morning, and craving carbohydrates and gaining weight" (NHS). For some, SAD results in mild depression; for others, it can be more severe and require immediate medical assistance.
Whether SAD affects yourself or someone around you, the upkeep of a beauty log can be beneficial–even in the times that SAD isn't impacting your life.
According to Rhett Diessner, a Professor of Psychology at Lewis-Clark State College who focuses on neuroaesthetics, keeping a beauty log may raise traits of hope, which correlates with "academic success, athletic achievement, various forms of social development, as well as the development of optimism and general happiness" (Diessner, 301). In fact, in Diessner's study that examined the impact of engaging with natural, artistic and moral beauty, it is shown that there was a significant increase in the trait of hope in the experimental group, which was more engaged with appreciating beauty.
Ultimately, writing short notes daily on what you find pleasing around you or things you are grateful for may increase your capacity for noticing beauty, and thus, improve self-esteem and overall attitude towards your surroundings.
There are many methods of keeping a beauty log.
Notes on your phone–accessible and probably the most preferred way of easily taking down observations
A physical journal–requires physical writing, which requires a deeper-level of processing. This may arguably allow the notes to resonate better in an individual.
Mental notes–sometimes it may be easiest to just acknowledge to yourself what you find aesthetically pleasing and worth gratitude. This takes a conscious effort though, as it is easy to forget to engage when there is no physical mechanism to remind yourself.
In terms of what to write down, that's up to you. Beauty is subjective: one of the reasons that it is difficult to discern what people will find uniquely pleasing. Some are more predisposed to notice natural beauty–the cool breeze, gift of colorful flowers, serene sea, etc. Others are more likely to notice moral beauty–acts of kindness, the profound phenomenon of humanity, volunteering, etc. Whatever you are drawn to, you can write down.
There is a lot of freedom in keeping a beauty log. But the one thing to keep in mind is not just note down the elements that capture your attention, but to describe what about them elicits feelings of appreciation and hope. This way, it will be easier to reflect on the feeling of seeing something beautiful when you re-read your notes at the end of the day. Through brief descriptions, you may even be able to replicate the nice experience you had seeing a butterfly outside.
In conclusion, a beauty log can be instrumental during the upcoming months and after. It allows you to make notes of what you find beautiful and why the elements around you are blessings.
Who knows? Maybe the cold snow you once despised will transform into a beautiful white sheet that you admire from your window.
References
Diessner, Rhett, et al. “Beauty and Hope: a Moral Beauty Intervention.” Journal of Moral Education, vol. 35, no. 3, 2006, pp. 301–317., doi:10.1080/03057240600874430.
Comments