Tips for Keeping a Gratitude Journal

It's easy to lose track of all that we have to be grateful for if we don't remind ourselves of it. There are always more things to worry about and replace our grateful thoughts. Writing in a gratitude journal can be a way to remind yourself of the good in your life and keep a positive self-talk mindset. This article from Greater Good Magazine called Tips for Keeping a Gratitude Journal will help you get started.

Over the past decade, [psychology researchers have] not only identified the great social, psychological, and physical health benefits that come from giving thanks; they’ve zeroed in on some concrete practices that help us reap those benefits.

And perhaps the most popular practice is to keep a “gratitude journal.” As we’ve reported many times over the years, studies have traced a range of impressive benefits to the simple act of writing down the things for which we’re grateful—benefits including better sleep, fewer symptoms of illness, and more happiness among adults and kids alike. We’ve even launched our own digital gratitude journal, Thnx4.org, here on Greater Good.

The basic practice is straightforward. In many of the studies, people are simply instructed to record five things they experienced in the past week for which they’re grateful. The entries are supposed to be brief—just a single sentence—and they range from the mundane (“waking up this morning”) to the sublime (“the generosity of friends”) to the timeless (“the Rolling Stones”).

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