Gratitude is a natural feeling, but it’s common to lose touch with it as we encounter the stresses of daily life or the inevitable hardships in life. Advertisements and social media bombard us with how things could be better. We enter a state of always wanting more and never being satisfied with what we have. This state can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety. To snap out of it, you have to find gratitude for the things you have. A tool for this is a gratitude journal.
Let’s have a look at what a gratitude journal is and how you can start your own.
What is a gratitude journal?
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Gratitude is an emotion similar to appreciation. It’s a sense of thankfulness and happiness towards your circumstances or the possessions you have. Being grateful means you are satisfied with what you have, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be searching for more. When you are happy with what you have, you’ll feel better about yourself and less stressed. This will make it easier to move towards achieving your goals.
Sometimes, we can feel lost in the stresses of life, and it can be difficult to find gratitude for who we are and what we have. A gratitude journal is a tool that reconnects us with this appreciation by writing down all the good things in our lives.
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What are the benefits?
A gratitude journal is a tool you can use to reduce stress and feel better about yourself and your circumstances. 5 of the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal are.
1. Increased mood
A gratitude journal improves your mood by helping you notice the positives instead of the negatives in your life. This can help you decrease (the risk of) depression and anxiety. Overall, it can make you a happier and more positive person.
2. Reduced stress and the risk of burnout
One of the most stressful things we can encounter is the feeling of not being or having enough. With a gratitude journal, you’ll help yourself notice all the good things you have and are, and this will reduce stress and the risk of burnout.
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3. Reduce materialism
We live in a rather materialistic world, and in itself, materialism isn’t bad. But sometimes, it can take over and reshape our values to focus on things outside of ourselves and not who we really are. This can cause a lot of stress and push us to make decisions in the moment that don’t align with who we are and what truly makes us happy.
A gratitude journal can help you notice that you already have a lot of good things in life and that you don’t need more things to be happy.
4. Better sleep
A gratitude journal can be used to reduce stress and difficult emotions. This makes it a great tool to help you fall asleep faster and get a restful sleep.
5. Helps you notice and celebrate small wins
Every day, we have the possibility to enjoy and celebrate small wins. When we remember to do this, we can increase our mood, self-esteem, and confidence and motivate us to keep going. A gratitude journal can help you notice these small wins and get all their benefits.
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How to keep a gratitude journal
A gratitude journal is one of the simpler journals. All you have to do is write what you’re grateful for. Here are some general tips and pointers to help you get the most from your efforts.
A gratitude journal is a simple journal to create and keep. All you have to do is write down the things you are grateful for. Below are 3 tips that can help you cultivate a feeling of gratitude with a journal.
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What to write in a gratitude journal
Cultivating gratitude can be difficult if you’re not used to it. You might not be satisfied with your current life, so how could you be grateful for any of it?
A great place to start is to focus on the good things in your life you might take for granted. Do you have a comfortable bed, a roof over your head, electricity, access to clean water, friends, family, or internal qualities? You might also have a good job, hobbies, recent or past achievements, financial security, or an exciting new opportunity. You can write about all of this and more. Only your imagination is the limit.
No matter where you are and how your life is going, you’ll have some things you’re grateful for. Write them down in your gratitude journal and cultivate a sense of gratitude for them.
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How long should a gratitude journal be?
Sometimes, writing down everything you’re grateful for can seem like an overwhelming task, and luckily, you don’t have to. Whether you write down 1, 5, or 10 things, it can be beneficial.
How you decide to structure your journal is up to you. Some people like to describe the things they’re grateful for in great detail, while others prefer to make bullets. You can mix the two or go ahead with one predetermined structure. There is no wrong way to do it.
Remember, the goal isn’t to write as many things or as much text as possible but just to write something. It’s better to cultivate a strong sense of gratitude towards a few things than a vague feeling for many.
How often should you write in your gratitude journal
The more often you write in your gratitude journal, the better it’ll work for you. Generally, I would recommend that you take a couple of minutes every day with your journal. You can do it before going to bed, in the morning, or even while sitting on the toilet.
However, once a day might not work for you and that’s okay. There is no rule that states how often you have to do it. It’s better to do it once a week than to never do it.
Gratitude journal prompts
Journaling prompts are short questions or statements that can help you get started with your journal. Let’s have a look at 21 gratitude journaling prompts.
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- What can you be grateful for today?
- Write down 3 things you usually take for granted but makes your life better
- Thank someone who have made your life better
- Which things you’re taking for granted can you be grateful for?
- Which relationships are you grateful for?
- What have improved since yesterday?
- What are your favorite things about the area you live?
- How do you appreciate your career/study?
- How can you acknowledge what’s going well with your health?
- What do you admire about your loved ones?
- What are your best qualities?
- What is something kind you did for someone else that you are thankful for?
- Describe a positive experience you had today.
- What is a small thing that brought you joy today?
- What is something beautiful you saw today?
- What is a past accomplishment that you are proud of and grateful for?
- What are you looking forward to and why does it make you feel grateful?
- How has gratitude changed your perspective on life?
- What are three things you love about yourself?
- Write about a personal strength that you are grateful for.
- What is a habit or routine that you appreciate in your life?
Related: Productivity journal
Final thoughts
A gratitude journal is a great tool for finding happiness and peace in your current circumstances. It doesn’t mean that you should never move forward and want more, but that you realize there is something good in everything. Give it a try and see how it works for you.
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