Have you ever wondered what the actual purpose of a gratitude journal was? or perhaps you've been told or have been led to believe that a gratitude journal 'is just a thing 'chicks like to do - like writing about their feelings and gluing some glitter to it'!
The Real Purpose of A Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal serves as a personal repository for documenting and reflecting on the positive aspects of your day or life. It's a deliberate practice of stopping (usually at the end of each day), acknowledging and appreciating the good, both big and small, that occurs each day. The purpose of a gratitude journal is to shift your focus from what might be lacking or stressful to what is already present and worthy of appreciation. Even the most shittiest of days has glimmers of something great - for example you might be grateful that your crappy work day is over, or you might have had a fantastic cup of coffee, or you might be just grateful that you get to go to sleep and put a spectacularly crappy day behind you.
What's in it for you?
If you haven't clicked onto it - I am a huge fan of the gratitude journal. Personally I don't make a big deal out of it, I don't light a special candle, play an inspiring or uplifting tune while sitting in a special chair with the lighting just right - nope, (while theirs nothing wrong with that, I am inherently lax by nature and am getting older every day, so by bedtime, I usually just want to crawl into bed and chase some shut eye!) I just like to keep my gratitude journal super simple. Each year I purchase an inexpensive small sized diary (with a couple of lines for each day - a week view is my favourite) and at the end of the day just as I'm getting ready to get into bed, I pick it up from my bedside drawer and write what I am most grateful for that day. Using a small diary really helps to limit the potential for end of day ramblings or avoids putting a 'visual pressure' on myself to write something longer (which is what I found when using a notebook).
It's such as seemingly simple task however over time it has become a powerful tool that has transformed my mindset and mental health.
While there are many people much smarter than me can give wonderful intellectual or academic explanations attesting to the many benefits of maintaining a gratitude journal, I can simply speak from my own personal experiences and those of individuals who have used a gratitude journal.
Some of the benefits I have found are:
Creating a More Positive Mindset:
Engaging in regular gratitude journaling cultivates a positive mindset. By consciously directing attention to positive experiences, we can train our minds to see the silver lining even in challenging situations. It can be hard to focus on the good stuff when our minds are so dominated by the negative stuff. I once read or heard someone say 'if you look for bad or negatives within yourself or others you will always find something - however if you stop yourself from doing that, flip it and start looking for the positives the 'good' stuff about yourself and others than you will also most definitely find it' - this concept has formed a critical foundation philosophy within my thinking that has transformed my overall well being. Now I get it when you are deep in the hole of negative thinking this concept can seem oversimplified, flowery, hogwash but sometimes, often times simple works best - part of that negative thinking mindset is catastrophizing events, situations and solutions - that is one of the thinks flipping that thinking can help achieve muting that part of our thinking and instead focusing on one simple positive thing that we are grateful for - right now!
Reducing My Stress, Anxiety & PTSD:
Writing down moments of gratitude can really help reduce stress and anxiety. I've found that when I ask myself the question 'what is ONE thing that I am grateful for today?' it forces me to privet my thinking from negative thoughts that are causing my stress levels to spike, anxiety to manifest and take root, and to avoid triggering PTSD leading chains of thought. Practicing a daily ritual of drawing out at least one positive thing that I am thankful for - establishing that as a daily habit - in my experience and over time has become a catalyst of broader positive thinking at other times of the day and for increasing periods during my waking time. It provides a healthy outlet for processing emotions and promotes a sense of calm by encouraging a focus on the positive aspects of life.
Improving Mental Health:
There is quite a bit of research from reputable and established academic sources that indicate that practicing gratitude is linked to improved mental health. Many believe that regular journaling has been associated with reduced symptoms of depression and increased overall life satisfaction. My personal experience also attests to the improvement and increased satisfaction focusing on gratitude and thankfulness has in my overall mental well-being.
Enhancing Well-being:
Gratitude journaling is also correlated with increased feelings of well-being and happiness. Go figure - by focusing on what we are grateful for each day we can actually increase our happiness! By fostering a sense of appreciation, you can lay the groundwork for experiencing greater fulfillment and contentment your life. In my experience this didn't just happen overnight, I diligently wrote at least one thing a night in my gratitude diary/journal for about a month before I started to notice improvement in my general well-being. I found myself during the course of my day looking for things or analyzing real time experiences in relation to whether or not they would make it into my journal that night - slowly but surely I started looking for things to be grateful for as I was going about my day - this in turn stopped me from focusing on many potential negatives during the day.
Increasing Resilience:
Reflecting on positive experiences, even during difficult times, can contribute to increasing our resilience. Gratitude journaling encourages us to find strength and positivity amidst challenges. Let's be honest, we are all facing an increasing number of stressful challenges these days. For many its financial, rental stress, worries about debt, housing, health, the now, the future, our safety, the safety of those we love and our community, global issues, environmental, food security........ WOW the list seems endless. With all of that on one side of the scale, poor old 'Gratitude' really needs to pull its weight! we are asking quite a bit from gratitude, but the premise holds: facing the world with a grateful mindset - keenly and diligently seeking it out amongst (and often despite) those many challenges we are trying to navigate can increase our resilience to deal with then and dare I say it... put into perspective some of those thoughts and challenges.
A final note:
By incorporating a gratitude journal into your routine and embracing its purpose, you can harness its powerful benefits for your mental and emotional well-being. The journey of gratitude journaling is not only about acknowledging the positives but also about fostering a transformative perspective on life. Wishing you a wonderful week, be sure to check out our other blogs within our Gratitude Series,
regards Violet Matters