A gratitude journal gives you access to a positive and grateful state of mind. This article will give you some tips that will help you get started on one.
Steps
Step 1. Be grateful
Gratitude is an attitude that can be practiced and developed. Cultivating gratitude as a practice in your life will facilitate your willingness to start and keep a journal.
Step 2. Make it a rule to write down a number of things you feel grateful for every day
Avoid repeating the same things. Journaling will prove more challenging over time, but this is how your awareness and gratitude grow. Challenge yourself to identify new things to be grateful for, things you may never have noticed before.
Step 3. Many people begin by writing down the main material things they are grateful for in their life
It is easier to recognize the things in your life that sustain you here on Earth, such as your home, your bed, your clothes, your food, etc. Don't forget to describe how these things make you feel and why you feel grateful for them.
Example - I am grateful for my home. My home warms my body, shelters and protects me. It gives me relief to know that there is always a comfortable place to return to
Step 4. Extend the list of material things you feel grateful for
These things vary from person to person, based on their tastes and interests. For example, if you love to paint, you may feel grateful for the paintings you own. Or, if you love music, you might feel gratitude for your CD collection.
Step 5. Describe how grateful you feel for yourself
You can start by feeling gratitude for being alive. Then start describing how grateful you are for your body, even if you don't like it in every part. Avoid the trap of feeling grateful for owning something that surpasses what others have. Instead, compare what you feel gratitude for with how you would feel if you were without it.
Step 6. Think about your abilities
You could start with basic skills, such as seeing, hearing, walking. Then expand the list to include those skills of yours that make you unique. Think of the things that require talent like dancing, singing, writing, and understand that they are part of your character as well as your ability to listen, to cheer people up, and to be a sincere friend.
Step 7. Consider the people in your life
Think of all the people you love, like your parents, your friends, your partner, and even your pets. Write about why you feel grateful for each of them and how they make you feel. Doing so will help you appreciate them and see only the good in them. It's also helpful to write about people you don't actually like and find a reason to like them. It might be difficult because we don't really appreciate those we don't like, but at the same time very uplifting. There is good in each of us, and finding it even in those we don't like, and feeling grateful for their presence, is greatly beneficial to our mood.
Step 8. Describe the situations and experiences
Those situations that make us happy are always present. For example, you may feel grateful for a fun party, a productive and enjoyable day at school or work, or a relaxing vacation.
Advice
- To remind you to write in your diary, keep it in a prominent place. For example, if you spend time in front of the TV after work, keep your diary on the coffee table next to the sofa. Decorate it to fit in perfectly with your decor so you'll never be tempted to put it back in a drawer and forget about it.
- In times when you are feeling down, reading your journal will be of considerable comfort. Remembering everything you can feel grateful for will help you regain your energy and experience positive vibes.
- It is not necessary to dwell on describing why you feel grateful for something, but it will help shift your awareness to those emotions and feelings that make you feel good, bringing more of them into your life.
- You can use a free digital gratitude journal by recording your notes and pictures on the web or on your mobile device. One of the possible choices is Thankaday.
