How To Start A Gratitude Journal

For most of us, there’s a lot more going on inside our minds and bodies than we let on. There are so many feelings and crappy thoughts about ourselves and things we’ve been through that just pack on and build up over the years. This is what leads us to overeating, getting stressed, and feeling sick. Negative thoughts, emotions, and experiences truly can lead to physical ailments, weight gain, and sickness. 

To get healthy and stay that way, we have to get to the root of our repressed feelings and release them. One of the simplest ways to do this is through journal therapy. It’s free, and it’s accessible 24 hours a day. The most challenging part is getting started. 

A more specific way to journal about your feelings rather than day-to-day experiences, is to focus mainly on the present “here and now” parts of your life that you are grateful for. 

Now, take out a journal, notebook or anything to write with. Start writing about what you are happy with, grateful for and at peace within your life. The more we focus on something, the more that it grows.

One of the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal is helping you to reduce stress levels and feel calmer, especially at night.

Journaling can give you a new perspective on what is important to you and what you truly appreciate in your life. By noting what you are grateful for, you can gain clarity on what you want to have more of in your life, and what you can let go of. It even increases your self-awareness and help you to learn things about yourself you hadn’t thought of before. 

Your gratitude journal is for your eyes only, so you can write anything you feel without worrying about judgment from others. On days when you feel low, you can read through your gratitude journal to shift your perspective and remember all the good things in your life.

Our busy lives allow us to repress our issues, so we can avoid them instead of processing them. Bottom line, it’s scary to face your fears. Congratulate yourself for getting this far in the process. Tell your inner critic, “Thank you for sharing,” and put your pen to the page.