You might have tried gratitude practice before and didn’t like it. It’s okay! If you want to pick it up again, we have several tips on how to make gratitude journaling a simple habit.

A gratitude journal is a writing practice that focuses on noticing the good aspects of life. Studies show that the practice:

• Improves overall psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and positive mood.

• Reduces stress, anxiety, and burnout.

• May decrease depressive symptoms and anxiety.

• Strengthens resilience, coping skills, and post-traumatic growth.

• Enhances social functioning and work engagement.

The effects can last up to several months.

How To Keep Journaling Consistent?

You might have had a gratitude journal in the past, but didn’t continue. It’s okay, because you might not have the resources for everyday journaling, or the format of the journal didn’t fit your habits. Here are a few options for sticking to the routine.

• Reframe the idea.

If you are struggling with the concept of gratitude, try describing bright moments of the day or week instead.

• Find a comfortable journaling format.

Use an app, print out prompts, or get a cute notebook and a smooth pen.

• Choose your pace.

Making something an everyday habit is hard. Instead, journal once a week.

• Invite friends.

Team up and share what you are grateful for at the end of each week in a group chat.

• Write about people.

Sometimes, it’s hard to be grateful for inanimate objects, so try thinking of people or animal companions instead.

• Vary what you write about.

Noticing the same things may not engage your mind. Try looking at situations, behaviors, and sensations that you didn’t pay attention to before.

• Write in detail.

Exploring the specifics of what made you smile keeps you engaged in writing.

Limitations of the Practice

If you tried gratitude journaling and it didn’t work out for you at all, it’s okay. Gratitude journaling does not have a large effect, and in some people, improvements don’t appear at all.

Mental health professionals and researchers note that the effectiveness of this practice varies based on cultural characteristics, personal values, age, experience, motivation, and consistency of the practice.

So, give it a try, but use it as a supplemental tool for your mental well-being.

Scientific Sources:

• Gratitude interventions to improve wellbeing and resilience of graduate nurses transitioning to practice: A scoping review

• NHS: Gratitude Journal

• Understanding and optimising gratitude interventions: the right methods for the right people at the right time

• The Effect of Gratitude on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers as Measured by Burnout and Depression

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• You Are Not Overreacting. It Might Be Anxiety

• Learn Three Popular Methods of Mindful Breathing

Don’t just think it, ink it!