A couple weeks ago, I started the practice of gratitude journaling. One reason for doing so was knowing I wanted to get into more positive habits, and another was for the difficult and frustrating situation I have been going through for the past few months. Little did I know that this one habit would actually stick and would change my perspective with more positivity and gratefulness for even the smallest of daily things.
How-to: I used my only journal and divided some pages specifically for gratitude journaling. Basically, labeled the pages and numbered them. Each night before bed I grabbed the journal, dated the month day and year, and wrote down 3 things I was grateful for that day. (Started with: I am grateful for…) After that I separated the section with a line for the next day. I know some people do 3 things in the morning and 3 at night…but it honestly is all up to each what works best.
The outcome: It has turned into a daily habit for the most part now, sometimes I do miss a day, but am right back to it the next day. Before journaling, I felt everyday was the same, and that my situation didn’t seem to be getting better or progressing. I noticed I had more negative thoughts and judgment going on in my mind throughout the day. It may not have seemed like it because I kept it all inside, but I knew this was not good. Lastly, I felt like the universe wasn’t on my side.
After practicing gratitude as a habit, I not only felt more grateful for what I had but also felt more calm and optimistic. There is so much good going around us, that others may not even have the privilege of. It made me see things in a different light instead of spending so much time judging myself for everything wrong I was doing. Gratitude heals the soul from within and transforms your outside experience. It is minimalistic in the way that being grateful doesn’t cost one cent, nor does “gratitude journaling” if you already have a pen and paper!
Have any of you tried gratitude journaling? If so, what benefits have you seen from doing it?
The Minimalist Taurus 
I haven’t tried this in a long time, but I agree that it is a great practice. (I identify as a journaler, but have a rough time with the follow-through.) I think that another positive aspect of this practice, is that it helps us get out of our heads. As you mentioned, when you first started you were harboring a lot of negativity, and most of that was contained inside. While internal processing is certainly important, if we keep things inside too much or too long, they take on an energy that they should have never been imbued with. Also. I hope that things improve for you : )
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I used to be really bad about journaling too, even though I knew I wanted to get into it more..I think making it a daily habit right before I go to bed helped, if I didn’t do it it felt like something was missing. Yes I agree, sometimes we just don’t want to talk about our problems to others and writing it down just helps that release! Thank you so much for the encouragement 🙂
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Omg! Why are we literally the same person? I also started gratitude journaling earlier this year and had only positive vibes despite the challenges that occurred to me. I liked your idea of writing down 3 things that you’re grateful for. The topic of gratitude journaling will also be featured in one of my blog posts so I got excited reading your way of doing this. 😀
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Lol! That is great to hear, it’s hard to find people in real life around me that are also into journaling, so it’s nice to hear about your experience and hope to read your upcoming blog post 🙂
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I tried gratitude journals a few times. I ended up with a gratitude blog. I’ve had it over 3 years. I started with 5 things, & mostly in the evening although if good things happen in the morning, sometimes I post twice in a day 😉
I started with an aim of 5 things a day, & sometimes it’s a bullet point list of 5 things. Sometimes it’s a paragraph on a topic, sometimes one things leads to another & I just can’t stop! There are situations / lucky escapes where I find myself thinking, “must remember that for my gratitude blog!”. It’s true that once you start looking for the good, you see more & more of it. Being a more positive person also attracts more positivity to you, upwards spiral 🙂 I’m glad you’re noticing a difference.
“The Magic” (Rhonda Byrne) recommends starting each one with “I am grateful for…” , I don’t feel the need anymore, sometimes my gratitudes are just what’s gone well in my day. There’s always something, & the small things are important.
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That’s pretty awesome! Sometimes digital journaling aka blogging is more convenient, plus you get to share your progress with others and inspire.
I also want to try the bullet point form in my journaling. That’s the very best…when you start writing something you thought would be short, and then can’t stop! Completely agree on looking for the good 🙂
Im also starting to notice the repetition of that sentence so I might experiment by not using it and just writing the good like you said. Thanks for the reply!
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You’re welcome, https://universalthanks.blogspot.com/ here’s my blog if you’re interested. I haven’t been very consistent and now I have a friend who likes reading so I make more effort to post every day. Sometimes it overlaps with my blog here.
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Thank you, I’ll check it out!
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I like the way you tied gratitude journaling to minimalism, I can see how they compliment each other. I haven’t tried gratitude journaling per se, but I often write about how lucky I’ve been. For me it’s all about the ripple effect. I try not to spread negativity by publishing when I’m in a less than perfect mood. Although I can be skeptical and negative for short periods, most of the time I’m pretty amazed at how good life has been to me and I enjoy writing about it. Good food for thought!
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Thank you! At first I wasn’t sure they could be tied but the more I thought about it and journaled, the more it connected. I think any type of journaling and appreciation for what you have is good 🙂 That’s a great practice to have down, I’ll be keeping that in mind for blog posts!
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I’ll definitely give it a go! My thoughts have been getting a bit too negative for my liking. I think it will definitely make a difference. Thanks for the tip!
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Love it! I read a devotional called 1000 gifts, it’s all about being thankful. Such good practice.
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Thank you, I will look that up 🙂
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I have started one too and I love it! I blog mine once a month to share it with everyone. Its a great practice to have!
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Yayy! It really is a small change in your day that can make a big impact. Good luck on journaling/blogging 🙂
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