Now (and always!) is a great time to begin to keep a gratitude journal. You can use this time before the happy celebration of Easter to reflect on the many blessings you have. Keeping a gratitude journal can help you be more joyful and more present in your everyday life.
A gratitude journal is a simple yet effective way to build a positive mindset that helps keep you focused on things in your life that matter. Combined with prayer, it’s a practice that allows God to help you see the beauty in your life! Furthermore, studies have proven keeping a gratitude journal and writing down what you are grateful for on paper helps you develop an attitude of gratitude, which leads to a more joyful state of being. The benefits don't end there; keeping a gratitude journal can also help you sleep better and experience fewer symptoms of illness.
When keeping a gratitude journal consider going beyond a list of what you are thankful for. One of the key aspects of keeping a meaningful journal is to recognize the feelings associated with your gratitude.
For example, if you are grateful for your friends helping you move, write down that you're grateful for the help, and also how you felt. Did you feel comforted and supported, relieved, or proud to have such wonderful friends?
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
- Psalm 9:1
Another good practice to add to your gratitude journal are prayers of gratitude and scripture about thankfulness. This keeps our Lord front and center, from who all of our blessings come.
Our Daily Prayer Journal allows you to incorporate your prayer life with your gratitude journal because it includes an area where you can write down what you are grateful for daily.
Keeping a gratitude journal need not only be about the things you have in your life. You can focus on things you've learned; from the people in your life, current or past relationships - good or bad - and how they have impacted you. It is also a good idea to focus on qualities. Qualities in yourself that you find to be strengths, and even on your perceived weaknesses. Other areas you can focus your gratitude on include opportunities you have, the city or town you live in, and/or the places you've seen.
Our Faith & Focus Planner comes ready to get you started incorporating this practice into your every day. An added benefit to this practice is that it helps you to set time apart away from your tech devices first thing in the morning and last thing at night, which can help you have a good start to your day and a peaceful night's sleep
Making time in your day for your gratitude journal is important too. We suggest writing down what you are grateful for in the morning or earlier part of your day so that you can then focus on the things you wrote down for the rest of the day. At night, when you're turning in focus on what you were grateful for that day so that you can write those thoughts down the following day.
Join our Facebook group to continue the conversation on gratitude journals!
