Gratitude Writing- One Habit That Will Change Your Life

Gratitude means thankfulness, Gratitude writing simply means writing down things you are thankful for in life. This One habit that will change your attitude towards life.

“Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot” ~Hausa Proverb

Journaling is a great way to practice mindfulness and connect with your thoughts and feelings. Research shows that expressing gratitude (being thankful for people and situations) can improve your physical and mental health. So, keeping a gratitude journal can be a huge boost for your well-being.

Gratitude journals are not unlike the diary you kept as a teenager, but instead of writing random thoughts about your day, you write about the things you’re grateful for—big or small.

The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means gratefulness.

Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.

In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

People feel and express gratitude in multiple ways. They can apply it to the past (retrieving positive memories and being thankful for elements of childhood or past blessings), the present (not taking good fortune for granted as it comes), and the future (maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude). Regardless of the inherent or current level of someone’s gratitude, it’s a quality that individuals can successfully cultivate further. It is also a way of self care.

5 Benefits of Gratitude Writing

1. It Increases Positivity: When you take the time to focus on the good things in your life you naturally become more positive. By writing down what you are thankful for, it can make you more cheerful because you are choosing to see more of the positivity in your life, giving less power to negative emotions. While these positive aspects of your life may be floating around in your subconsciousness, writing them down makes them more tangible and real.
2. It Improves Self-Esteem: Keeping a journal is a very personal activity and allows you to be present with your own accomplishments. Showing gratitude has been proven to reduce social comparisons, and by expressing what you are thankful for, you are less likely to be resentful towards others. Very important in the current social structure.
3. It Helps You Sleep Better: Spending just 15 minutes before bed writing down a few grateful sentiments can help you have a much better night’s sleep. By thinking of the positive happenings of the day or reminding yourself of what you have to be thankful for, you are much less likely to think over your worries and therefore clear your mind for a good night’s dream.
4. It Makes You Happier: Showing gratitude means you are acknowledging the goodness in your life. By addressing these things down, you are able to feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, and build strong relationships–a recipe for a much happier life! Researchers have found that people who write about gratitude are more optimistic and feel better about their lives in general.
5. It Reduces Stress: Grateful people take better care of themselves, meaning in the long run they live healthier lives and are therefore able to manage stress in a healthier way. Scientists have found that focusing on feelings of contentment and satisfaction naturally counters stress, and leaves you feeling much more grounded and able to deal with whatever life throws at you.
6. It Makes for Better Relationships: Spending 15 seconds acknowledging what a person did, the amount of effort they dedicated, and how their actions helped is considerably more valuable than exchanging a quick “thanks,” acknowledgment is the key. By writing you also focus on good than bad in a relationship. Gratitude doesn’t just benefit romantic relationships but can have an effect on all relationships.

What are the things you can write in a journal?

The answer is literally, anything. 

Sometimes it’s okay even if the only good thing that happened or you did today was breathing.

It matters a lot. 

So this section is short, anything that made you happy or you are grateful for. Your gratitude journal or log is personal that must be unique to you and your life.

No one can tell you what makes the cut for you and your particular circumstances.

Here I am giving you an idea if you are totally baffled

• Write about a person in your life that you’re especially grateful for and why.
• What skills or abilities are you thankful to have?
• How is where you are in life today different than a year ago–and what positive changes are you thankful for?
• List five body parts that you’re grateful for and why.
• What about the city you live in are you grateful for?
• What are you taking for granted about your day-to-day that you can be thankful for?
• Write about the music you’re thankful to be able to listen to and why.
• Who has done something this week to help you or make your life easier and how can you thank them?
• What foods or meals are you most thankful for?
• What elements of nature are you grateful for and why?
• Part of your morning routine are you most thankful for?
• What is something you’re grateful to have learned this week?

How To Start A Gratitude Journal You’ll Actually Keep

What you write is personal. Here I am trying to tell you habits that will sustain your journal writing practice and maximize its benefits.

1. Choose A Journal: Preferably a pretty one which you will keep in front, on your side table and not keep inside almirah and forget about. It can be a diary or digital notes, I prefer my diary. The fun part, It doesn’t have to be a written journal. Lots of people journal visually, by drawing daily gratitude sketches or taking photos of things they’re grateful for.
2. Keep your gratitude journal by your nightstand: so the habit is continued. To remember to write in your journal keep it somewhere you’re sure to see when you have the most time.
3. Set Aside Time For Writing: Finding time to write in your gratitude journal can be difficult at first because it feels like another thing on your neverending to-do list, but after you get into the routine it becomes second nature. The easiest way to maintain a gratitude journal is by making it a habit. Try attaching it to an existing habit like having your morning coffee or reading before bed. Consistency is the key.
4. Start small & Be Specific: Your gratitude journal doesn’t have to be deep. What you are thankful for can be as simple as “family” or “the new book or movie I recently enjoyed” or “this morning’s breakfast.” What you are grateful for will differ from everyone else. Try to be more detailed in your gratitude journal than just, ‘I’m grateful for my bed’. Be specific about why you’re grateful for it. For example, ‘I’m grateful for my bed, because it’s a safe and comfortable place that I can relax and rest in each night
5. Think Of Fresh Topics: Challenge yourself daily to come up with something new. Remember that even tiny things can have an effect, for example the light green color of young leaves in the spring that stand for hope and renewal.

Thats all from my side.

Hope you will introduce this habit in your routine from today itself. Also share this with your friends and family, so they will benefit too. 

Please write in comments your learnings and thoughts on this topic.