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With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought this would be a good time to talk about gratitude. Not cliché at all! But, in all seriousness, it is good for your mind and your soul to practice gratitude. One of the best ways to do this is with a Gratitude Journal.
What start a Gratitude Journal?
A Gratitude Journal is what it sounds like. It is a journal for you to write down what you are thankful for. It is good practice to take some time every day to jot down something for which you are grateful. A Gratitude Journal helps you keep thankfulness in the forefront of your mind. We spend so much of our time rushing around and focusing on the things we don’t have yet or the things that are going wrong. Our lives are so much better when we focus on the good. Your outlook becomes brighter and your decision making becomes clearer.
What type of Journal Should You Use?
A Gratitude Journal can be as simple as a small notebook to an app on your phone. I, personally, prefer a handwritten journal as there is something about writing out what you’re thankful for that really helps you internalize it. I’ve created my own sheets to fill in that I print out and keep in a binder by my bed. You can get a copy of this sheet below. I know plenty of people who go the small notebook route and just jot down a sentence or two each day.
What Should You Journal About?
You should put in your journal anything that you feel thankful for. It can be something big like a promotion, a new house, etc. or something small like how nice the weather was or how you had just enough gas to get somewhere without having to stop to fill up. It can even be something silly that you wouldn’t normally think about like how great you pedicure looked after it was done or how the bee flying around you didn’t sting you. The point is to see how many wonderful things happen in your life on daily basis and how many things you have to grateful for.
How Long Should Your Journal Entries Be?
Your journal entries don’t have to be long. Some people aren’t much into writing, so they simply write a single sentence of something they are grateful for each day. Others are really into journaling and might write a paragraph or longer. I tend to use bullet points. Your journal is your own and can be done in any way you choose. Just choose something that makes it easy for you to complete each day. If it is too complicated or it doesn’t fit your lifestyle then you won’t do it and you won’t get the benefits.
When Should You Journal?
Some people like to journal in the morning so their day starts off on a positive, thankful note. I, personally, do affirmations in the morning and choose to journal at night so I can think about what happened that same day and journal about them. You can journal at any time. If your lunch break is the best time, go for it. Just pick a time that fits your schedule.
Journaling is a very effective method of remembering the things that are important to you and get your feelings out. A journal just for gratitude will help to brighten your life and remind you of how good things are even when it doesn’t always feel good. It is also fun to look back through your journal a year later and see all the amazing things, from big to small, that have happened in your life. So, print out the journal page below or grab yourself a small notebook, and start filling it with gratitude.
