Gratitude Journal

What is a Gratitude Journal?

There are many different reasons for having a gratitude journal and many different benefits of writing down your thoughts and feelings. In fact, many people are able to process their emotions through the art of writing.

However, not all journaling is the same. A gratitude journal is a unique type of journal that focuses on what people are grateful for.

While many will use journaling as a way to get out their negative thoughts and feelings and put them on paper—gratitude journaling instead is all positive and supportive. Take a look at how to set up and start benefiting from a gratitude journal of your own.

What is a Gratitude Journal?

A gratitude journal is actually a very simple type of journal that is all about the things that you are grateful for. You can keep this journal in an actual notebook, write notes on your phone or create documents on your laptop.

Different people have different standards when it comes to their gratitude journals. Some will write down one thing per day they are grateful for, others will challenge themselves to write between 3-5 things per day.

The goal, however, should be to write down or write about something that you are truly grateful for, and it shouldn’t be the exact same thing or person every day. Your journal is there to help put things in perspective for you and help you highlight all of the wonderful things going on in your life—even when it can seem like things aren’t going your way.

Examples of Gratitude Journal Entries

They key to a successful gratitude journal is variety. Remember, you don’t have to write a novel about each item in your gratitude journal, you just have to include what it is that you are grateful for.

While spouses, family members and homes are all common things to be grateful for, look at a few of these examples that can show you just how easy it is to add to your gratitude journal.

“I am grateful for the compliment my boss gave me today and that he recognizes the work I put in to my career.”

“I am grateful for the lunch I had with my friend today and being able to relax with someone I care about.”

“I am grateful for the beautiful roses in my garden that I see every morning.”

You don’t have to put more than that in your gratitude journal. You only have to write a little—but trust me, in the end you will get a lot out of it.

Other Styles of Gratitude Journals

Gratitude journals in a notebook or text document are the most common forms of this type of journaling—but this isn’t the only way to benefit from gratitude journaling.

Other options include a “blessing jar” where you write down one thing you are grateful for every day and then go back and read the snippets later on. You can also take videos of yourself talking about what you are grateful for—or snap images o the things you fell gratitude for in your life and keep them in an album.

Some spouses and families even like sending their “gratitude items” to one another to show those they are closest with what they are grateful for.

Why Keep a Gratitude Journal?

So, why should you keep a gratitude journal? Well, you may think that you are relatively positive person already or that you don’t need to keep track of what you are grateful for—but everyone can truly benefit from these journals, no matter what their circumstances.

Gratitude journaling is not only good for your mental health and well-being, but it is a great way to start getting into journaling and stretching your creative muscles. Plus, it is low-cost, easy to do and won’t take more than a minute of your day if you want it to—even with all of that, it can uplift, empower and make you feel more confident and optimistic about yourself and your life.

You can use your gratitude journal daily as a way to keep your attitude positive, or whenever you are feeling down as a way to lift your spirits.

The Benefits of Gratitude Journals

There have been some early studies on gratitude journals and on all that they can do for those who use these journals regularly.

One study, in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that those who maintain regular gratitude journals can quiet their minds and sleep better than those who don’t.

Gratitude journals can help promote self-confidence, healing, optimism and positive thinking all with a simple, regular practice. This is true not only for people who already feel as though they have a good amount of positivity in their lives, but those who are looking for a boost.

Conclusion

Gratitude journals are a simple, yet powerful tool that can help you put your life into perspective and help you feel most positive about the life you have in front of you. Give this gratitude journaling a try and see yourself how the simple art of writing every day can change the way you look at the world.

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