Gratitude Journaling
What is gratitude journaling?
Simply put, gratitude journaling is the practice of recording and reflecting on the moments of gratitude in your daily life on a regular basis. It is a way to express yourself while showing appreciation for the little things in life and celebrating the present.
Why is gratitude journaling good for mental health?
Keeping a journal allows you to include all your thoughts, but a gratitude journal requires you to focus on what you are grateful for each day. When you shift from negative and often toxic thoughts to find the positive in your everyday experiences, you train your brain to see the good in life, despite the occasional bad day.
From a mental health perspective, this leads to less anxiety, better sleep, a happier demeanor and better physical health, as well as a contagious positive outlook. Expressing gratitude towards others can strengthen relationships and foster a sense of connection, as well as boost self-esteem and help enhance resilience allowing you to better cope with challenges and setbacks.
How can you create consistency with gratitude journaling?
Deciding to start a gratitude journal is the easy part. These seven suggestions will help you keep journaling and make gratitude a part of your daily life.
Decide your method of journaling. Although most people think of writing as the only journaling method, there are so many other options. You can draw, paint, collage, quilt and more. If you prefer an electronic journal, you can use apps like Gratitude Journal Prompts or 365 Gratitude Journal. If you like the idea of writing, but not in a book, you can also write letters of gratitude to the people in your life.
Make your journal beautiful to look at. Purchase a new notebook or dress up an old one with stickers or a new cover. If you are drawing or painting, buy yourself new media to work with. If you choose to write letters, make your own envelopes or use pretty stationery. You can even make an electronic journal beautiful with the CustomJournal app that allows you to include pictures.
Try using prompts. It is hard to keep coming up with a unique thing to be grateful for every day. You know you are thankful for your family and your home, but using prompts makes you think a little deeper to find gratitude in the ordinary. You can find a variety of prompts online with a simple Google search. Check out 10 prompts to get you started today:
- Visualize the coziest part of your home. What do you love most about it?
- What makes you feel confident?
- What do you love most about your community?
- What is the most thoughtful gift you’ve ever received?
- What is your favorite meal or snack? Why do you love it?
- What motivates you?
- What do you love about your morning or evening routine?
- Who inspires you? Why?
- What brings out your creativity?
- When do you feel most purposeful?
Set a consistent gratitude journaling time. It is easy to start a journal and keep it up for a few days. But then life gets in the way and the only thing your journal is doing is keeping dust off the nightstand. Find a time when you have a few quiet moments each day. Some people prefer journaling with their morning coffee and others like to reflect on their last moments before turning out the light to sleep.
Don’t overwhelm yourself. This is supposed to be a positive exercise and not a chore. Try setting a goal to keep a journal for 30 days. If it still feels right, keep going. If not, put it away and use it as a place of reflection when you are having a bad day. You can also choose to keep a once-a-week journal. Throughout the week, make short notes (Post-its work great) about the gratitude highlights and expand on them once a week when you have more time.
Give yourself some grace. Some days you will have a gush of gratitude and other days you are just glad you made it to bedtime. It’s OK to find more gratitude on some days and not a lot on others. It’s okay to have empty pages or skipped days in your journal. Even dieters have cheat days — days where despite your best efforts, you just didn’t make your goal.
Don’t hold back your thoughts. There is no judgment. If you are grateful for something, you should expand on it. Remember, there are no silly entries. If you are grateful for a short line at Starbucks or your fuzzy steering wheel warmer, more power to you. You will probably be the only person to see your journal, so express your gratitude with full transparency and without fear.
–Pam Molnar
Introducing Gratitude Journaling to Your Kids
Help your children develop habits of mindfulness, which can decrease anxiety and improve their self-esteem. Positive affirmations can be crucial for youth and their mental health.
With young kids. If your children are too young to write, let them draw what they are thankful for each day. Give them a simple sketch pad as their gratitude journal and let them decorate the front with stickers and family photos.
For the family. If your family is constantly on-the-go, use time in the car or around the dinner table for a verbal gratitude journal. Each person can share something from their day; this will help teach kids to express gratitude while creating connections with family members.
Tweens and teens. If screen time is important to your middle- or high-schooler, let them use an app for their gratitude journaling. This is something that you can compromise with them on and help them do something positive while on their device.
A jumping off point. If your kids get stuck thinking of something to share, ask them questions. What made you smile today? Did someone do something nice for you today? What is something about yourself that you are proud of?
Making it routine. If your kids are early risers, incorporate gratitude journaling into the post-breakfast routine. If your family is better in the afternoons or evenings, add journaling to after-school snack time or bedtime. The time of day doesn’t matter, it’s the expression of positivity that is important.
– Tali Benjamin
