Gratitude Journals: What they are, their benefits, and how to create one

Amidst the chaos of everyday life, it can be difficult to find things for which to be grateful. You aren’t alone if you struggle to see the bright spots each day. 

A gratitude journal is a dedicated space for the expression of sincere appreciation for things in your daily life. Gifts occur in our daily lives; when in traffic someone slows down to let you over into the next lane, a friend sets aside time to help you with a project, or you see a magnificent sunset on your drive home from work - these are all gifts. Your breath, your body, in this very moment right now are gifts. 

Toxic positivity forces you to fake joy you don't really feel while suppressing negative emotions. A gratitude journal, on the other hand, allows you to reflect on one thing you are grateful for that day while also providing space for you to reflect on thoughts and feelings—even the negative ones. 

What are gratitude journals used for?

Gratitude journals are a sacred space where you can reflect on people, places, or things that you appreciate in your daily world. A gratitude journal can help you have a more positive mindset that flows into love, appreciation, and joy for the people and things around you. A gratitude journal allows you to focus on the abundance of good that otherwise might be missed during a particularly trying time, and it can reduce your anxiety, overwhelm, and dissatisfaction with your life. A gratitude journal is an invitation to reframe your perspective about a negative situation and empowers you to find ways to grow and learn more about yourself. A gratitude journal helps build mental resilience and the ability to be flexible and use hardship as a path to growth. 

What are the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal?

Keeping a gratitude journal can improve your physical health, mental health, spiritual health, self-esteem, reduces stress, helps you sleep better, and improves your relationships. 

Gratitude improves physical health

Gratitude reduces your stress and empowers you to feel calmer in your day-to-day life. We know that stress is a major contributor to headaches, heart problems, and other long-term physical ailments. A daily gratitude practice helps you shift your mindset to view your life through a more positive lens that will empower you to have the clarity to make decisions that align with your core beliefs and values. Less stress means better physical health.

Gratitude improves mental health

People who practice gratitude feel more optimistic about their future, happier with their life, and are more likely to engage in habits that improve their physical and mental health. The daily practice enables you to see patterns in people, things, or places that bring you joy, so you can implement more contact with them to increase your overall satisfaction with life. Our mental health is better when we feel positive and optimistic about our life. 

Gratitude promotes spiritual growth

Practicing gratitude helps you develop a healthy mindset that can find things to be grateful for, even in the face of adversity. You are able to see how these hardships contributed to your growth and development as a human and appreciate the lessons and how these events shaped you. Practicing gratitude helps you develop a sense of purpose for your life as you begin to see how things unfolded, the ways you changed, or how you cultivated a stronger sense of self as you navigated the difficult times. You feel more in control of your life and you might develop more trust in yourself and your life path. 

Gratitude increases self-esteem and reduces stress

When you focus on gratitude, you are less likely to compare yourself to other people and you develop an appreciation for the gifts and abilities of the people around you. Practicing gratitude will reduce your resentment toward others as you become grateful for what you do have in life. 

When you write down the stuff going right in your life, you spend less time focusing on what’s wrong with your life. This, in turn, creates a sense of calm, even when life demands the most of you. 

Gratitude helps you sleep better

Writing down what you are thankful for can improve your sleep because you end your day focused on the positive instead of ruminating on the bad. A nightly gratitude journal is easy to keep. Just focus on three things that happened that day that you feel thankful for. Your list might include something as small as a short line at the grocery store or a hug from a loved one. If you have trouble thinking of something focus on whether your basic needs of food, shelter, warmth, security, safety, and rest have been met that day and notice how those needs were met. You will have a great start to a gratitude journal if you follow this practice. 

Gratitude improves relationships

When the things we appreciate about our partner or loved ones, we are less likely to harbor resentments and more likely to experience a deeper connection and feel more satisfied in our relationships. The gratitude journal gives us a space to focus on the value that people bring to our lives, improves our trust, and even helps us see the helpers in our life. In turn, we can invest more time and energy into the people who are there for us.

How do I get started with a gratitude journal?

Here is a simple prompt to get you started:

I hope this inspires you to begin a gratitude practice, especially now during Thanksgiving. I am grateful that you have taken the time to read this and give yourself a gift of self-care.