You’ve probably heard of gratitude journaling, but what’s the hell is it and what’s the point? Isn’t writing in a journal for nerds? At least that’s what I always thought, but I was wrong…
I’ve been faithfully writing in a gratitude journal every single morning, first thing in the morning for over a year now and I can say with absolute honesty and certainty that it has many positive benefits. I would even go as far as to say it’s completely changed my mindset and outlook on life. It’s impacted my life in several positive ways, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite benefits below.
But first…
What is Gratitude Journaling Exactly?
Before I get into the benefits I want to quickly talk about what it means to keep a gratitude journal. As you probably know, expressing gratitude is the act of deliberately being grateful for everything and everyone “good” in our lives. It’s taking the time to recognize all of the people and things that bring us joy and happiness.
The act of gratitude journaling is taking the time to express those thoughts and feelings in written form, from big things to small. Writing down even those items that you may feel are insignificant, like a hot cup of coffee. The journal is a designated and safe place to contemplate and reflect on the many blessing in your life, achievements you’ve made and the simple moments that bring you joy. It’s more than just making a list, like I thought it was. By intentionally choosing to physically write down the people and things in your life that you’re thankful for, it begins to shift your perspective and cultivate and overall mindset of gratitude. It starts to become your mind’s default to search for and truly appreciate the abundance in your life. It makes you more aware of the people, things and little moments of happiness that you might usually overlook. The benefits I discuss in this article are real benefits that I’ve experienced personally.
Ok, enough of that, let’s get to the good stuff.
Increased Happiness
There are some days that just don’t seem to start off on the right foot. You got up on the wrong side of the bed and there’s this looming negative cloud you can’t escape. Believe it or not, I’ve all but eliminated what seemed to be an all too often reoccurring theme in my life. Or at the very least, it’s allowed me to manage it and quickly turn it around before it turns into “one of those days”. By sitting down with my journal first thing every morning, opening to a fresh new page and writing down all the things in my life that I’m thankful for and that bring me joy, it sets a tone of gratitude for the remainder of the day. I feel an overall happiness knowing that no matter how the day unfolds, I still have all of those positive elements in my life. The most important aspects and people are taken care of. All of my present needs are met. I feel joyous and fulfilled. It puts me in an “even if” mindset. Even if everything goes wrong at work, even if my car breaks down on the way home, even if the bathroom floods due to a leaky toilet, I still have my health, my wife, my kids, my home and hot coffee every morning (that first cup is underrated by the way). In the grand scheme of things, I lack nothing. It helps shift the focus from everything that seems to be going wrong, to everything that has gone and is going right.
Being More Present
It’s easy to get consumed by thinking about the future, worrying about what issues or problems may lie ahead. On the other side of the coin, it’s just as natural for our minds to start ruminating on past experiences. Both of these situations pull us out of the present moment. Sitting down and writing everything we’re grateful for really brings us back to reality. It forces us to think about what's good in our life and what's been going in our favor right now. By doing so, it places those items and people to top of mind. When we’re in a state of feeling gratitude towards something, we tend to pay more attention to it, bringing us into the present moment.
Reduced Stress and Anxiety
This is a big one for me. Being a dad of 3 small children under 5 and an owner and operator of a small business (which happens to be our sole income), I was feeling a lot of pressure to “do well” in life. I wanted to be the best dad I could be, I wanted to do well in business to provide for our family. This culminated into a lot of stress and anxiety. Everything little thing that went wrong felt like the end of the world, I felt like I was barely holding it together. But after I started gratitude journaling, I was able to zoom out and view the bigger picture. I started seeing life from a wider lens. I realized that everything was ok. I could relax knowing that from a perspective of gratitude I was doing great. In reality, when I stop to think about it, I’m the luckiest man alive. It’s easy to focus on all the negatives and everything that’s going wrong. The more we focus on them the bigger they seem to become, until it feels like the weight of the world is bearing down on us. Gratitude journaling changed that for me. I stopped stressing all of the minor speed bumps and learned to go with the flow, because in my mind I knew that everything that REALLY mattered, everything I was truly grateful for, was doing just fine.
Increased Creativity and Problem Solving
When we allow ourselves to slip into states of ingratitude, we close ourselves off from being able to receive viable solutions to the problems we’re facing. By focusing on the negative, things start to seem bleak and hopeless. When were in this state of mind we’re not open to solutions, and it’s likely we won’t see opportunities as they present themselves. We all face challenges, problems and crisis in life. Having an attitude of gratitude allows us to call forth our creative genius and be open to an epiphany that can transform our crisis into an opportunity. It encourages us to tap into a mindset of abundance and possibility, which in turn, super charges our mind's ability to explore new ideas, ways of doing things and solutions to problems.
Improved Relationships
Expressing gratitude for the people in your life that bring you joy and make you feel whole, naturally improves your relationships with those people. When you start to not only thinking about, but write down how much they mean to you, you’ll be more inclined to nurture those relationships. Just as you start to view life from a wider lens, you begin to view your relationships from that lens as well. You’re less critical and judgmental of their actions and “quirks”. Certain things they do that usually annoy or agitate you, start to seem trivial. Like if they forgot to take out the trash, or left the toilet seat up (both of which I’ve NEVER done). I’m joking, I’ve done both many times. The fact is, you start to see those things for what they are. They’re not malicious acts, sometimes people have a lot going on. You also have an urge to express your gratitude to them directly. You start to treat them better and be more understanding because you’re actively thinking about how much they really mean to you. You feel compelled to tell them and show them. Top of mouth, tip of tongue, as they say.
Increased Self-Esteem & Confidence
When you intentionally practice gratitude for everything that’s positive in your life, you tend to focus much less on the negatives. The areas that you feel like maybe you aren’t living up to your potential become less of a focal point and you’re more inclined to think about all you’ve accomplished and all that you’re doing right. This makes you feel better about your current position and where you’re headed. It leaves you feeling more empowered and less likely to dwell on past mistakes. You feel better about yourself, more optimistic, making it easier to move forward confidently and face any challenges that might arise. It ultimately gives us a deeper sense of self-worth while appreciating our talents and abilities, which we tend to take for granted.
Better Sleep
It’s no big secret that being more relaxed is more conducive to getting more sleep. Both falling asleep and getting a large uninterrupted blocks of sleep. Gratitude journaling before bed allows us to focus on our positive thoughts and emotions, which promotes feelings of calmness and tranquility. It really allows us to quiet our mind and ease into a more restful slumber. Of course, we all know the many benefits of better sleep, so don’t sleep on gratitude journaling. See what I did there?
Tips to Start Gratitude Journaling
- Find a journal that works for you. This can be anything from an expensive leather bound journal to a cheap dollar store composition book. All you need is something that’s bound together and preferably lined.
- Date them for reference. This helps track when you’ve started, how consistent you’ve been and any progress you’ve made. It’s also nice to look back and reflect on exactly when certain great things were happening in your life.
- Be flexible. There really are no rules when it comes to journaling. You can write 3-5 simple things, you can expand on them or don’t. It’s entirely up to you.
- Start small. Start out by only committing to writing 3 things you’re grateful for. This will make the habit much easier to stick to, it won’t seem like such an overwhelming commitment. What we’re aiming for in the beginning is consistency and building the habit. It won’t be long until you’re wanting to write more and more.
- Aim to do it daily. I prefer to do it first thing every single morning. I feel it gets my day started off right and sets the tone for the remainder. Some people like to do it at night before bed as it get’s them in the right state of mind for the next day and helps them sleep better. Whatever works best for you and you’re schedule. You can test different times if needed to see which provides the most benefits for you.
- Have fun. Keeping a gratitude journal is about joy, happiness and feeling grateful. Don’t put to too much pressure on it. Just write what comes to mind and do your best to be consistent, but if you miss a day, just do it at a different time or pick it back up on the next.
Happy Journaling…
- Woog