Experiencing gratitude is one of the best feelings in life. However, we rarely know how to appreciate what we have and the importance of seeing the positive side of every step we take along the way. In fact, in the most complex and dark moments, giving thanks for the experiences we live can make us see a light at the end of the tunnel.
If you don’t know why to give thanks or how to start cultivating gratitude, in this Psychology-Online article, we will show you what a gratitude journal is and how to do it. You will see that, with just a few minutes a day, you can get the boost that will lift your mood and lead you to a fuller and happier life.
What is a gratitude journal
A gratitude journal is not very different from regular journals. Specifically, it is a tool, which can be a notebook, card or notebookin which you regularly record all those things or events for which you should give thanks day by day.
In itself, the gratitude journal is nothing more than a strategy for writing down write down everything good that happens to you so that you remember that good things always happen to you in life. Its importance lies in the fact that it allows you to keep a record that will serve as support for the most difficult moments, since you will have a history of the positive things around you.
As it is your own and expressive writing, it serves as a liberating and cathartic element to drain emotions and give a realistic perspective to your situation.
How to make a gratitude journal
If you’re wondering how to start a gratitude journal, you should know that it’s extremely easy. The first thing you should do is have a pencil and paper to write down. You can even keep the record digitally on a PC, Smartphone or any device that has a note processor. When you’re all set, just follow these suggestions to make your own gratitude journal:
- Take the necessary time and make it a rule: you should make it a habit to take about 10, 15 minutes or whatever you think is necessary daily to write your gratitude journal. Try not to skip days so that you always have your notes.
- Do not repeat the things for which you are grateful: write daily about 4 or 5 things or situations for which you are grateful, but try not to repeat the same thing always, since this will give you the challenge of always achieving something new so that you should thank. It is also not advisable to clutter your diary. Therefore, if one day you don’t want to write, nothing happens and go back to it the next day.
- Be grateful for what is important: for example, emphasize your professional experiences, achieving a new goal, the people around you, etc. The important thing is that you learn to value the circumstances, even if they are adverse, since those details are what generate true learning.
- Write down your most outstanding qualities: you need to be grateful for your qualities and . For example, the ability to breathe, walk, talk, see, among others, are gifts that life offers you for your well-being. Likewise, it is good that you include what makes you unique and special, such as the ability to dance, play an instrument, have artistic skills and everything that helps you feel good about yourself.
- Focus on problems as possible opportunities: every obstacle that comes your way, consider it as a new challenge to bring out your strength. Even the hardest failures can become opportunities for success as long as you learn to see them from another perspective.
- Don’t forget to be grateful for material things: material possessions are also important and something you should be grateful for. Giving thanks for your house, your clothes, your food and what helps you cover your basic needs will make you see how lucky you are in life.
- Be grateful for the people around you: your gratitude journal is a good time for you, your children, siblings, friends, family, co-workers and all those who are with you, supporting you and offering their company.
- Be consistent: the most important thing with the gratitude journal is the consistency you have and the use you give it, since if you are not constant, it is unlikely that you will enjoy the benefits of this wonderful personal tool.
Benefits of writing a gratitude journal
A gratitude journal will improve your mood, raise your self-esteem and will also help you value and live in the present. Additionally, making a gratitude notebook has the following associated benefits:
- Facilitates integration and the ordering of your thoughts.
- Helps you eliminate stress to start feeling more pleasure in your daily life.
- Serves to strengthen social ties and to value those around you.
- Raise self-esteemsince it makes you grateful for every space of your existence and you recognize that you are lucky.
- Generates very positive emotions and boosts motivation and enthusiasm.
Additionally, writing a gratitude journal is the perfect way to stay positive and improve self-control. If you don’t have a gratitude journal, you can get yours here:
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is a gratitude journal and how to do itwe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- García-Medina, S. (2019). Gratitude as a modulating factor of well-being. A systematic review.
- Moyano, NC (2010). Gratitude in positive psychology. Psychodebate. Psychology, Culture and Society(10), 103-118.