Your first step toward starting a gratitude journal is to purchase a notebook for journaling. Any notebook that suits you will do. The point is to have a book dedicated to journaling.
While we are providing certain Gratitude Journal Prompts below - that may be printed or done in pdf form, you will still want to purchase your own journal as you may find at different times of the day that you will want to journal about different things, as well as about gratitude.
On the first page, write out these instructions for journaling, which we have adapted from instructions given to the gratitude-journaling group in Emmons and McCullough (2003):
There are many things that we can be grateful for. Some of these things can be big, but some can also be very small. These things also differ from one person to the next. Think about the past week, and list five things in your life that you are grateful for.
Remember that the items you are grateful for do not have to be limited to only people in your life, and what you might be thankful for is unique to you.
Perhaps you’re grateful for reading a specific book, listening to a song or your favorite band, legs that can carry you, or even something abstract like your faith or learning to practice patience.
If you are having difficulty even with expressing gratitude like listed above, or used by Emmons and McCullough (2003) too vague, then consider using the following directed prompts for some of your journal entries:
In the last week, what did you do that you are grateful for?
In the last week, what did someone else do that you are grateful for?
In the last week, what did you learn you are grateful for?
In the last week, what did you feel that you are grateful for?
In the last week, what did someone else say to you that you are grateful for?
In the last week, is there a feeling that you felt that you are grateful for?
In the last week, is there a sensation (that you saw/heard/smelled/tasted/felt) that you are grateful for?
Using the prompts given by Emmons and McCullough (2003), here is an example of things that I am grateful for:
I am grateful to feel the sun on my face and to hear the birds in my garden.
I am grateful that I get along with husband’s family and enjoy their company.
I appreciate the opportunities that I have to produce work.
I appreciate it that my colleague asked me for my advice and my opinion on a piece of work. This made me feel like I was good at my job.
I appreciate the gratitude book that I am reading and the time that I have before bed to read.
Additionally, you when you practice gratitude regularly/continuously you will find your positivity increases. Although people who express gratitude report higher levels of life satisfaction and lower levels of depression than people who do not engage in gratitude journaling, these differences disappear three months after the journaling has ended (O’Connell, O’Shea, & Gallagher, 2017).
Therefore, aim to practice gratitude journaling regularly for maximum continued benefits.
Most gratitude journaling is focused internally and only has a reflection component; for example, your journal entries are a personal, private expression of gratitude, but the expressions of gratitude toward people in your life are never openly expressed to them.
When asked to combine their gratitude journaling with a behavioral component, such as expressing their gratitude to the person they are grateful for, then participants reported even higher on measures of positive emotions and lower on measures of negative emotions than participants who only wrote down (i.e., reflected) on things that they were grateful for (O’Connell, et al., 2017).
Gratitude Letters:
Reading this book changed my life. When I was suffering from major issues with precancerous cells, this book began to change my life and my perspective. It helped me to slow down and to know I was not alone in my struggle. Reading this story caused me to live my life differently and to step outside of myself. Although I was already practicing gratitude, I found this book eye opening at the levels of gratitude the author had and how he implemented them into his life. One of the things I changed was holding gratitude inside. Instead, I began to write gratitude notes and letters. Writing a Gratitude Letter can change your life and the lives of others for the better. When I found I was in moments of frustration, but also in moments of thankfulness and joy ~ I found that actually expressing gratitude was better than just holding it inside of myself. So, I would write, and still continue to write gratitude letters to others. If you are having difficulty with writing a gratitude letter, please find a gratitude letter prompt below.
Additionally, I have created a Gratitude Jar with my classrooms when I was a teacher, in my office when I was a Director of large programs, kept one on my office desk in corporate, and have used a Gratitude Jar in my own home with my family / children. We find a Gratitude jar very beneficial in creating change in behavior as well as in seeing the good in life and expressing it to others, as well as appreciating others on a deeper level. Please see the prompt below for more: Create a Gratitude Jar
Seph Fontane Pennock Co-founder, PositivePsychology.com who have provided some of the resources above, as we have provided insight within this module as well.
Looking for ways to include Gratitude in your relationship?
While we do not cover this topic in detail here, we do explore this more within our relationships section so, please check out our relationship section - breakthrough group where this topic is explored a little more in detail… while also seeing the resources below:
