Journaling and Gratitude

Expressing and feeling gratitude is good! It’s like injecting yourself with hormones of happiness. Why not resolve to make it a daily experience by keeping a gratitude journal? 

Gratitude for something bigger than us has a big impact on the feeling of well-being, and decreases anxiety dramatically. To whom or what to send this kind of thank you? It’s not that important. And you don't have to have faith to experience that powerful feeling of recognition. It is the expression of the feeling itself that counts; it’s the experience that transforms.

A gratitude journal

Keeping a gratitude journal allows you to live gratitude every day, on a regular basis. This daily activity creates a space where your attention is focused on what is good; what makes you feel good; about the people and things that contribute to your happiness. After a while of focusing your attention on your subjects of gratitude, it will come to you as naturally as breathing. Your mental and physical health can only improve.

There are many ways to keep a gratitude journal. You can use a nice notebook and get started today. You can also keep post-it notes handy and simply write down your graces as they come to mind. At the end of the day, you can stick your papers on the wall of your choice in the house.

And you can try with children

Children especially like the small sticker paper method. You can use simple squares of colored paper and take sticky tape to stick them to the wall.

If your child cannot write yet, ask him to draw what he wants to say thank you for and invite him to choose one or two words that you will write for him on his drawing. Your child will need your help. If he always says the same thank you every night, he will not only be bored, but he will also lose his sense of gratitude.

Tips to hold on

Be specific in your thanks. The more specific the purpose of your recognition, the more clearly you can remember that moment and rediscover the joy you felt. Instead of writing: "Thank you for my husband", you can write: "Thank you for the way my husband greets me in the morning when entering the kitchen, with so much joy that it makes me feel like a gift.

Take time to think. It’s easy to make a thank you list in a gratitude journal in less than 3 minutes. But, it is better to dwell on a gratitude in particular by returning to this memory, this context, this situation. It’s when you take your time that the feeling of gratitude comes: a feeling of wonder and fellowship. Waiting for emotion, wonder and communion changes everything when the pen touches the paper.

Explore different themes. At first, it’s easy to find the good things in your life. But after a while, it's normal to have trouble finding new ways to express your gratitude. Identify themes for which you might be grateful and explore one theme per day (eg, your friends, family, nature, your love life, the things you love about yourself, the things you learn).
Perhaps it is time to experience gratitude and all its benefits regularly?

It changes our vision of the world, of ourselves and of the future. For the best!

Resources: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/tips_for_keeping_a_gratitude_journal