Hi Friends, in this post I want to get into all the wonderful ways a gratitude journal can change your life for the better. Now it's important to note that a gratitude journal will not change your life circumstances, but it very well can change your life perspective. This is why a gratitude journal is a worthy investment of time and effort. This type of journal is simply a space to record what you are thankful for.

By recording and thinking of items to record, a positive vibe is fostered, and positivity is increased. While the mundane and necessary aspects of life will still exist, they may become dim in the light of a heightened awareness of goodness and wonder. Keeping a gratitude journal can make life burdens feel lighter, or at least more balanced.

If you're on a mission to start journaling this year, it doesn’t get much easier than a gratitude journal. With this type of journal, you can write as much or as little as you want every day, use any type of notebook/journal, and just write down what you are grateful for. Not only will this be a very therapeutic experience for you, but it can provide a lot of other benefits as well.

Benefits of Keeping a Gratitude Journal

It's a reality that life has it's ups and downs, and these fluctuations often have accompanying emotions. There is still personal willpower to make choices about how to deal with circumstances, upturns, and downturns. A lot of personal attitudes revolve around choice, although people don't always feel this way.

Being thankful or joyful is a conscious choice and deciding to record what is good in life is a great way to acknowledge that good always exists. Making the decision to focus on and record what is good often leads to feelings of calm and even control.

It Helps with Reflection

Instead of going to bed with a racing heart and racing thoughts, try preparing for slumber by reflecting on the day's happenings and choosing to record some positive moments and experiences. Likewise, instead of waking up and checking technology immediately, try having a slow cup of coffee and focusing on all that is currently good in life. This can be a very peaceful way to both end and greet a new day.

It Helps You Build a Positive Attitude

Rereading previously written thanks is also a great way to reflect on positive attributes of important people in your life. The entries may even provide helpful for sharing with family members and friends. Who wouldn't feel valued to know that you recorded something positive about him or her on a certain day? Rereading past thanks is also a great way to see a pattern of good in your own life and surroundings.

Gratitude Journaling Usually Involves Less

Gratitude journals are often quicker to write in than full out personal journals so provide a quick snapshot into a span of time. If you don't have time to write out a full narrative, jotting down some quick thanks is perfect. When you are feeling glum or having trouble seeing the light, reread previous entries and gain a new slant on all that is right with your life, past and present.

Whether you are brand new to journaling and want a simple one to start with, or you are looking to expand your journal collection, a gratitude journal is excellent to get started with today.

What to Write About

If you are unsure about what to write about, it is a great idea to ask someone who currently keeps a gratitude journal to share a few entries. This practice may not only stimulate ideas, but it may also enlarge your perspective on goodness.

Don't worry if you don't have anyone to ask, in this post, I'm sharing 15 different journaling prompts to help you get started!

Sharing Your Gratitude with Others

Have monthly gatherings and share goodness, both in sharing company and perhaps nice food and beverage offerings, and in sharing good news. If this is not doable, consider a casual online or text sharing chain of thanks with close friends or family members.

Make it Unique to You

Items and recordings in a gratitude journal will vary from person to person but consider starting by recording people you are thankful for. These may be coworkers, neighbors, family members, friends, or even strangers that you meet on chance encounters. Sometimes even witnessing the exchange between strangers may prove a boost to your own day.

Share Everything You Are Grateful for

Did someone unexpectedly share a kind word or gesture with you today? Perhaps they helped you with a small or large task. Maybe you witnessed a mom and young child sharing a good old-fashioned belly laugh or saw someone extending grace or going over and above requirements to do a job well. Concentrate on using all five senses to experience people, places, and events.

Don’t Forget the Small Things

Another item worthy of recording is food or beverages that are particularly enjoyable. Pay attention to the way your favorite coffee smells and how the mug feels warm in your hands. Savor the smells and tastes of home cooked meals or enjoyable dinners out. Eating a meal or even snack prepared by a friend or family member may provide a double dose of blessings by providing love through companionship as well as a nurturing act of service.

Time spent in nature is often a stress reliever, just like keeping a gratitude journal can be. As you experience nature, use your senses to be fully present and open to the benefits around you. As you walk, you may feel thankful for healthy lungs and legs, or grateful for a chance sighting of a colorful cardinal.

Complete Actions to Be Thankful for

Walking a pet may cause you to feel thankful for having a playful animal and even a furry protector. Pretty colors in the sky and trees may also make their way into a gratitude journal. Relax and let your thoughts flow. A change of scenery may even jog a new idea or vision.

Material objects and indoor surroundings may also be worthy of mention in a gratitude journal. A luxuriously warm fireplace and a fascinating book to read when it is chilly outside are an example. A favorite outfit that fits just right and makes you feel your best are another example. Seasonal dishes that perfectly fit the occasion might make your heart and belly sing.

Indulge in Life Experiences

Experiences provide plenty of opportunities for blessings to record. Leaving the salon with your hair looking spectacular is worthy of recording. New sights and sounds are perfect to record, as are ventures into a new hobby. Discovering a new tucked away store, cafe, or garden may provide perfect material to record. New experiences often remain vivid in our memories and may even show us a new aspect of ourselves or others. View life as an adventure just brimming with possible blessings to record.

Surprises are another topic of possibilities for a gratitude journal. Finding a prime parking spot may be a wonderful item to record. An unexpected and welcome phone call or letter is often a huge boost to a day. Receiving a better-than-expected deal on any purchase is always nice. So is reliving a funny memory or sharing a hearty laugh.

Receiving a surprise gift such as a book or music that someone who knows you well thought you would click with is very welcome. As is your loved one bringing you your favorite drink or food just when you crave it. How about a drive that begins with only loose plans and turns into a magical kind of adventurous day? These are all perfect surprises to record as thanks.

My Best Tip for Keeping a Gratitude Journal

There is no wrong way to begin and keep a journal of thanks. It is perfectly acceptable to add a prescribed number of entries each day, or to keep the journal in a convenient place and to write thankful thoughts when the mood strikes. When writing a prescribed number of thanks per day, it is best to keep the number manageable. That number is totally up to you and you can change it whenever you want to. It's not set in stone! Whether you choose to write 5, 6, or 10 thanks each day, it's your call. Sometimes you may only be able to find 1 thing to be thankful for, and that's ok. The more you work on building your gratitude journaling habit, the easier it will be for you to find things to be thankful for.

Try to Write in Your Journal Daily

It may prove helpful to write thanks daily in the beginning, so that recording thanks becomes a helpful habit. If writing daily, try to find a certain time of day or night that works best for your schedule, or use a few minutes both morning and night to record thanks. The last think you want to do is make the journal keeping feel like a chore or something on a never ending to do list. The point is to have free flowing praise and a written record of it.

Gratitude Journal Prompts to Help You Get Started

Fostering gratitude, both in real life and via a journal, is a great boost for family culture. There are various resources that offer prompts to begin the journey of thanks.

So what is a journaling prompt? It's a statement, question, or observation about you or your life. It can help give you some direction when you are deciding what to write about in your journal. For a gratitude journal, these are often all about self-reflection, since this type of journal is about writing what you are thankful for. After the obvious health, family, friends list, you might get a little stuck.

Here are some journaling prompts that are perfect for a gratitude journal:

1. 1. What is the ONE thing you are MOST grateful for in your life right now?
2. 2. Name 5 things you are grateful for this week.
3. 3. Who is someone you can’t imagine your life without?
4. 4. What is a way you can show more gratitude every day?
5. 5. Do you feel that you appreciate the good in your life often enough?
6. 6. What is something that made you smile today?
7. 7. Name something surprising that happened to you recently.
8. 8. What is something fun you experienced in the last year?
9. 9. Talk about a challenge you are happy to have overcome.
10. 10. Name someone who has taught you an important life lesson.
11. 11. List 3 things that were difficult to live through, but you are now grateful for the experience.
12. 12. Show how grateful you are for your family.
13. 13. Describe why you are grateful for your pets.
14. 14. Talk about how your job has changed your life.
15. 15. List 5 memories from your childhood you are grateful to have.

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