How To Write a Gratitude Journal and the Benefits of Affirmations
Overall, September is a very positive month. We have national positive thinking day, national encouragement day, and national gratitude day. It only seems right to celebrate this with our guide on how to write a gratitude journal.
For those who have never heard of a gratitude journal, it is the daily habit of reflecting on things that you are grateful for. Though it may seem silly or effort for some, it has very strong psychological benefits and allows your to focus more on the positive aspects of life rather than the negative. There are no rights or wrong when it comes to writing your journal, nor do you need to keep it in a journal! It is a system that completely fits around you and how you are feeling. With all the doom and gloom in the world, we think there is nothing more important than focusing 5 minutes every day on the positive things in life.
Having a positive outlook on life can be hard to achieve for anyone. Our brains automatically focus on the negative outlooks on life and that is us being humans! Sometimes when living with disabilities, chronic pain or physical discomfort, it can be hard to focus on the gratitudes of life and that is completely okay.
Gratitude journals can be used as a meditative technique to focus on day to day achievements. They don’t need to be a chore or looking at the future they can be as simple as waking up, taking a deep breathe and thinking, "I’m going to try my best today and if I don’t succeed, that's okay."
Here’s our step by step on achieving your journal.
1. Find the time.
Whether it’s in the morning whilst enjoying your morning coffee, right before you start the day or even every night before going to sleep. Research has shown by allowing even just 5 minutes of your time every day can have a huge impact on your overall wellbeing. By completely unwiring your brain and focusing on what you are grateful for that day has been shown to reduce stress, improves self esteem and even can improve sleep quality.
2. Write it down!
A gratitude journal can take many forms and doesn’t have to be a journal (though you can buy super cute ones) It can be in your notes in your phone, on a piece of paper, on the mirror even saying it aloud. The important thing is focusing on what you are grateful for that day. It doesn’t have to be really thought out either, your gratitude journal can start with:
-Today is going to be a great day
-I am loved
-I am doing my best, and that's good enough
Here are some pointers on what to write:
Think about what you have, what you have achieved, think about who you are grateful for and your goals you want to achieve.
Like we said it can be something as simple as "I am grateful that I have nutella in the cupboard!"
3. Write regularly
Commit to a regular time and revise what you have written, if you are feeling a bit down throughout the day always refer back to it. Most importantly breathe and recite your affirmations. There are no right or wrongs and starting a gratitude journal is a very personal decision and should be done in a way that suits you best. Taking the time to focus on the positivity can benefit you more than you can imagine.
Practicing gratitude seems so trivial until you actually put it into motion and witness the impact it has on your life firsthand. Here’s a quick list of what we’re grateful for:
- Our team members
- Our community
- Coffee to get us through the day
- The sunshine
- Your kind comments
Now, it’s your turn. Make a quick list of what you’re grateful for and stick to it every day. We’ve got a sneaky little feeling it’ll become your favorite self care activity.