Practice Gratefulness with a Gratitude Journal
Download PDFIt’s not always easy to recognize things to be grateful for in your life, especially during stressful times.
Gratitude allows you to recognize, acknowledge, and appreciate things around you that you might take for granted.
Taking some time each day to journal things you are grateful for can help increase happiness and elevate your mood. Practicing gratefulness helps shift your focus to the positive and disconnect you from negative toxic emotions. Some studies show that it may even help improve sleep and lower fatigue.
To start your Gratitude Journal all you need is:
- Notebook, preferably new
- Pen
- Grateful thoughts
Start small. It might be hard to think of things when you are first starting out. Take notice of what is around you that bring you joy, like savoring a good cup of coffee in the morning, seeing a puppy on a walk, or being thankful for your spouse making dinner. It could even be as small as being grateful for the comfortable seat you are in while writing your journal.
Don’t leave out the big stuff! Celebrate big moments too like getting that promotion you have been working for or celebrating the birth of a new family member.
Try to get specific. Give details as to why you are grateful. For example, “I am grateful for this chair because it’s a comfortable relaxing place that I feel safe journaling in.” Taking notice of why you feel grateful will add depth and understanding to your feelings.
Tips to stick to journaling:
- Put “gratitude time” in your schedule each day through a meeting or alarm
- Take notice throughout the day of things that bring you happiness so when it comes time to write it down you have plenty of choice
- Ditch the notebook for an app on your phone to be grateful on the go
- Not into writing? Think of 3 things you are grateful for before going to sleep
