Gratitude Journaling- Tips and Prompts to get you started

1. Find a time and place to journal that works for you.
You could try writing at night, or first thing in the morning, or even during your lunch break. Whatever time and place works best for you is what will give you the most benefit from your gratitude journaling.

2. Keep your journal with you at all times during the day.
This way, if inspiration strikes, you won’t miss the chance to write it down.

3. It’s never too late to begin.
Just because you’ve started your gratitude journal doesn’t mean you can’t start right now! Of course, the earlier you start, the better, but it’s never too late to give something new a try.

4. Write down little things as well as big ones.
People tend to think of the ‘big’ items when they think of gratitude journaling, but don’t forget about all those smaller things in your life that make a difference too!

5. Be specific.
It’s great to write what you’re grateful for; but writing down why you are grateful for it gives you more to contemplate and cherish it. Don’t just write down ‘I’m grateful for my friends’. Instead, try writing ‘I’m grateful for my friends with whom I can share my difficult times.’

6. Take time to Contemplate
Once you’ve finished your gratitude journal entry, try taking a moment to sit and really contemplate what you wrote about. How do those things make you feel? What does it mean to you that they’re in your life?

7. Repeat!
Try to journal at least once per week, but it’s okay if you miss a few days here and there. Even just 5 minutes of gratitude journaling can have positive effects on your life, so don’t push it too hard if you’re not able to get in the habit every single day. Set up reminder alerts on your phone or calendar. This way, even if you miss a day of writing, you’ll still be able to keep up with it.

8. Use your favourite method to journal
Be it using apps, taking videos, recording your voice, typing on docs or writing with pen and paper. Try to not make it a complicated process and instead do what feels most natural to you.

9. Remember that it’s about you
One reason people often give for not starting a gratitude journal is that they feel like they don’t have anything to write about, which can lead to feelings of guilt or shame. Remember that your journal is all about you, and nobody has to know what you’re writing about (unless you want them to). It can be as private as you like.

10. Practice for being Mindful
Remember that the whole point is to notice what you have in your life. Even at times when you feel like there’s nothing great happening in your life, this exercise will help you take notice- of the little good that happens as well as the lessons in the bad things that happen to you. When you start noticing, you start living mindfully. And when something nice does happen, you will be prepared to take notice.