It’s easy to say that you show gratitude and are thankful for your life, and another thing to actually believe it and live it. You can go through life day in and day out and think that you are thankful for the things you have, but get so distracted with everyday life that you don’t fully live thankfully. Actively practicing gratitude is to deliberately and vigorously be thankful, having a readiness to show appreciation. Unfortunately our brains aren’t always wired this way, and it takes a constant effort to keep a positive thankful attitude. This is why I was inspired to start a “thankful journal”, and I cannot express to you enough how life changing this was for me!
Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t an easy process at first because it was just another thing for me to remember to do, but after awhile of making it a habit I completely saw the benefits. On the days that I wrote in my journal I felt a sense of contentment throughout the day, I was happier, and if anything went wrong that day I could handle it better, let it roll off my back so to speak. It was actually kind of weird, the days that I missed writing in my thankful journal I noticed I tended to be grumpy, felt unsettled and was quick to snap at the littlest things. There are a ton of benefits to being grateful everyday, here are just a few.
Benefits
- Helps you relax and de-stress.
- Puts you in a positive mind frame for the day.
- It really gives you perspective in life by showing you what is most important and what you are truly appreciative for.
- You become more self-aware and gain clarity on what you want more of in life and what you can cut from your life.
- Your gratitude journal is only for you, so you can write whatever you want without any judgments.
- On days where you just don’t feel grateful and can’t think of anything to write (you will have these days, we all do) read back through your journal and remind yourself of all the things you are thankful for. Trust me, you will be surprised how much this lifts your spirits!
Everybody does it differently, but I choose to write in my gratitude journal in the mornings, it became kind of like a peaceful “me time.” I enjoy it so much that at times my 15 minutes of writing has turned into 30 minutes or more because my words will keep flowing. If you need a little inspiration, check out the Desire Map by Danielle Laporte! This book/journal gets you inspired and reminds you about what’s most important to you, and your goals for the future.
How to Maintain a Gratitude Journal
- Plan to write in your gratitude journal everyday, whether it be in the morning or before bed. At first you might want to set a little reminder for yourself, until you get in the habit. You could leave your journal on your night stand so that you’re reminded to write before bed. I like to leave my journal next to the coffee pot so that after I get my cup of Joe I can settle in with my dogs and feel grateful.
- Write anything you want in your journal, I like to write 3 things that I am grateful for. I also include any personal goals that I want to accomplish and inspirational quotes that inspire me.
- You don’t have to write a long detailed list of what you’re grateful for and why (of course you can if you want to). What your thankful for can be something as small as “the air that I breathe” or “my fur babies.”
- If you forget or skip a day, its ok, just don’t give up! Journal when you can and you will see how beneficial it is.
I hope this will be a little inspiration for you to take up the habit to practice gratitude everyday, so that you can improve not only your own outlook on life but your relationships with others.
I love to hear how others practice gratitude, please comment below and give us more inspiration.
