How to Start a Gratitude Journal and Transform Your Day
What if there was something you could do in five minutes or less that had the potential to shift your mindset and transform your day? Well there is! There are many things actually, but in this post we are focusing on gratitude journaling.
Journaling is one of my favorite self-care, spiritual growth practices. I journal every morning, and my journaling practice evolves over time, depending on what's going on in my life, what I'm inspired by, and what I feel called to. But one thing is always consistent with my journaling practice.
When I'm journaling, there's some aspect of expressing gratitude. If journaling is new to you, or you're not sure where to start, or it feels just super daunting, then watch this video because I’m going to break it down to be super simple.
A simple way to start with gratitude journaling is just writing down one to three statements of things that you're grateful for. I am so happy and grateful that ________. And if three items seems like too much, then start with one.
I recommend doing this first thing in the morning or at night before bed. And if you’re an over-achiever, you can do both! I find it to be a really great way to start your day in a healthy frame of mind.
I usually do it in the morning, It’s the first thing I do when I get up. I've worked with a lot of clients that implemented this practice and are amazed by how much it transformed their day, and their life because they started to see a new perspective on things. Because through journaling, they started to shift their perspective.
There are a couple of ways you can do this. You may find one thing that really speaks to you and helps you feel and embody gratitude. And you may want you may use it more as an affirmation and want to work with it every day.
It may be something that you don't feel like you have yet, but you're going write it as if you do. It may not be true for you yet, but you can write it as if it is, so you write it in the present tense, you feel the gratitude of what it would feel like. And maybe that's a statement that you're going to work with for a period of time.
Another one that is super easy is right when you wake up, write down three things you’re grateful for. And have them be different every day. This practice really helps train your mind to see abundance.
So when you wake up in the morning, before you do anything else, practice gratitude journaling. For so many people, the first thing they do when they wake up in the morning is they grab their phone, or they turn on the TV.
Practice your gratitude before you check email, before you turn on the news, before you get on social media. Because none of those things are going to help cultivate gratitude in your life. Instead, they are going to add stress, anxiety, fear, and worry to your life. And that will carry on into your day.
And then at night before bed, as you’re winding down, think or write three things that you're grateful for from the day. What happened in your day that you can feel grateful for? Who did you get to see? Who did you get to spend time with? What relationships are you grateful for? What events happened in your day that you're thankful for?
Do it every day and see how you feel. I believe you'll find that you feel a lot a lot more relaxed, a lot more free, a lot more expansive. And, as you start to see possibilities, you start to see opportunities, and you start to see more of what is working well in your life.
Watch the video and please share in the comments how this is helping you out and if you currently have a journaling practice, I'd love to hear about it. So share in the comments on YouTube. Like this video, subscribe to my channel, and I look forward to connecting with you again soon.
And if you would like some help getting started, then download my free gratitude journal below. It's a guide with templates and journal prompts to set you up for success!
