The benefits of journaling are endless, and there are countless prompts you can use to get started. Today, we’re sharing gratitude journaling prompts to help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude. When you take the time to express your thanks for the good things in your life, you’ll enjoy a host of positive effects, from improved mental health to increased happiness. So why not give these prompts a try? You may be surprised at how beneficial they can be.
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Have We Forgotten How to Be Thankful?
Have you noticed the rise of the mantra Keep Calm and Be Kind in recent years? It’s become so prevalent that we can be hard-pressed to go a day without hearing it or reading some variation on somebody’s t-shirt or bumper sticker.
But why is that so? Why do so many people feel the need to keep reminding others to show basic courtesy to others?
We live in a world that has become increasingly negative. (A quick scan of the comments section of any news website will immediately affirm this). People are very quick to name all the things that are wrong with life, but it’s rare to hear anyone going around expressing gratitude for all the wonderful (or even mundane) things in their lives.
Why? Well, it’s easier to fixate on the negative, for one thing. Negative experiences magnify themselves in our minds, taking up way more space than they deserve. They get under our skin and aggravate us, and talking about them is one way we can process our feelings and get over those things.
There is also a certain bond that comes from commiserating together, to be sure. You suffered through this, and so did I, and we are bonded by that experience.
But is focusing on the negatives in life a good idea?
Or should we be working harder to focus on gratitude and the art of giving thanks?
What is Gratitude?
Gratitude is the act of being thankful for what we have in our lives. It requires us to look outside of ourselves and our immediate circumstances and take notice of details that we might otherwise miss.
As one Harvard article puts it, “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.”
Why We Need to Practice Gratitude
There are innumerable benefits of practicing gratitude and it seems like every day another study adds more positive outcomes to the list.
The Benefits of Gratitude
Here are a few of the key benefits of cultivating a habit of gratitude:
- It gives you greater perspective and helps you focus on what you do have, rather than on what you don’t have or haven’t yet accomplished
- It connects us with ourselves and others
- It helps us appreciate the small things in life, which often turn out to be the bigger things
- It helps us to become more mindful in the present moment. For example, when we’ve trained ourselves to see the good in difficult circumstances, we can learn to see that good sooner the next time we find ourselves in a similar situation.
- It can reduce depression and anxiety
- It fosters a greater spirit of generosity and helpfulness
- It is one of the best predictors of well-being and good relationships
- It helps develop a greater sense of purpose
While gratitude is not the default stance for most of us, it is a powerful habit that can be developed over time by practicing it on a regular basis.
Why is Gratitude So Hard to Practice?
In his book, Gratitude Works! A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity, leading gratitude researcher Robert A. Emmons writes about some of the major barriers to feeling and expressing gratitude. Chief among these are a sense of entitlement and a lack of humility.
People who see themselves as more important than they are see little reason to be grateful for the gifts they receive. Likewise, those who feel like they’re entitled to everything they desire in life are unlikely to feel or express gratitude when things go their way. After all, they expected it and deserved it. What’s to be thankful for?
Why Keep a Gratitude Journal
Paul Wong of the International Network on Personal Meaning offers several strategies we can use to avoid falling into this unhelpful way of thinking:
- Acknowledging our own wrongdoing
- Receiving correction and feedback with grace
- Refraining from criticizing others
- Forgiving those who wrong us
- Apologizing to those we wrong
- Thinking and speaking about the good things in other people
- Rejoicing over other people’s success
- Counting our blessings for everything, good and bad
- Showing gratitude for our successes
Of course, most people who struggle with entitlement and humility do not realize it. We’re apt to see it in others, but blind to the same qualities when we present them ourselves.
For that reason, it’s a good idea to assume this is an area in which we all need a little work and practice these habits regularly, which leads us to the practice of gratitude journaling.
What Is a Gratitude Journal and What Are the Benefits of Keeping One?
A gratitude journal is simply a place to keep a running list of all the things you’re grateful for. You might add to the journal on a daily basis, a few times per week, or weekly. (Or, if you’re like me, you’ll add to it whenever it happens to catch your eye from its sacred place among the pile of papers on your desk at highly irregular intervals).
Making gratitude journal questions part of our gratitude journey helps us overcome a lesser-mentioned barrier to practicing gratitude: the discomfort some of us feel when trying to put our appreciation into words.
With a gratitude journal, we can identify and acknowledge our gratitude without feeling compelled to take the next step and actually express our thanks to someone. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t make an effort to express our thanks outwardly, but for many people, that step is actually too daunting to start with. Sometimes our gratitude can actually leave us without adequate words to express to someone else how much we appreciate them or their roles in our lives.
With gratitude journaling, there is no such fear. You can feel absolutely free to write whatever you want in your journal with no external pressure to share those thoughts and feelings with others.
And better yet, the positive results are largely the same! You don’t have to share your gratitude with others for it to have positive effects on you and your mental health–though doing so would certainly have a positive effect on theirs!
Emmons writes this about gratitude journaling: “People are 25 percent happier if they keep gratitude journals, sleep one-half hour more per evening, and exercise 33 percent more each week compared to persons who are not keeping these journals. Hypertensives can achieve up to a 10 percent reduction in systolic blood pressure and decrease their dietary fat intake by up to 20 percent.”
How many items you write in your own gratitude journal and how much you write about each one is entirely up to you. Some people aim to list five things each time they write in their journal, while others seek a single object of their daily gratitude attention and go into more detail.
It is surprising how quickly three to five items a day add up. You might, like Ann Voskamp or A.A. Jacobs, try to find a thousand things you are thankful for or a thousand people to thank over the course of a year. Or maybe you won’t take it that far.
This article, based on an interview with Emmons, summarizes some of his key tips of gratitude journaling.
However you decide to manage your gratitude journal, these gratitude writing prompts are a great way to get started.
What is a Journaling Prompt
A journaling prompt is a question or idea that helps spark your imagination and inspires you to write in your own journal. These can take many forms such as questions, pictures, quotes, and words. There is no wrong way to interpret a journaling prompt. Whatever thoughts, feelings, or memories these journal prompt ideas spark in you is the best direction for you to take your writing.
That’s one of the amazing things about journaling—no two people need to do it exactly alike. Even if you and I were to respond to the exact same journaling prompts, our responses and the way we present them would be completely different. Your journal will be as unique as you are.
Gratitude journal prompts are a powerful way to get you focused on the positive things in your life. They can even help you find small joys that arose out of difficult circumstances. They call to mind your favorite place, your best friend, your good health, and your favorite hobby and encourage you to dig into those experiences to discover what exactly you appreciate the most about them.
Whether you use a bullet journal, a beautiful notebook, or a blank journal, a good list of free printable gratitude journal prompts will transform it into a work of love. Before you know it, gratitude journaling will become your favorite part of your daily routine.
52 Gratitude Journal Prompts to Increase Your Feelings of Gratitude
We’ve developed this list of positive journal prompts to help you get started with your gratitude journal.
As you reflect on each one, think about the thing, person, place, or memory that comes to mind for a few moments. Your first reaction to this thought may not be gratitude. It may be hurt, sadness, or anger. That’s okay.
Take the time to process your emotions, and when you’re ready, try to go a little deeper. Is there something about it or them that you can find gratitude for? Is there any good that came out of your experience with it or them?
As you record your thoughts in your gratitude journal, it’s fine to share some of the painful things too. After all, you’re the only one who will be reading your journal. But see if you can land on a positive, thankful note for each thing you put on your list.
Gratitude Journaling Prompts for Your Gratitude Practice
Ready to get started? This epic list of gratitude prompts will take you all the way through the next year if you write in your journal once a week.
If you want to establish a daily gratitude practice, you can turn these into daily gratitude journal prompts by using each question as a starting point and riffing off it each day for a whole week. For example, you might have more than one answer to some of the questions, or they may bring up several other gratitude journal ideas.
Once you get started, you’ll find there’s no end to the wonderful things in life you’ll want to give thanks for.
That’s the power of gratitude.
- Write about someone who made you smile this week. What did they say or do? Why was it special?
- Write about a teacher who has made an impact on your life. What positive things did you learn from them?
- Write about someone whose faith in you has helped you succeed at something.
- What is your happiest childhood memory?
- Write about someone who has forgiven you for something you did. How did their forgiveness make you feel?
- Write about someone who always makes you laugh.
- Write about a person or people who gave something up for you.
- Write about a person in your life who makes you feel known. What kind of positive impact has this had on you? Are there little things you could do to help make other people feel this way?
- Write about a person you know who makes you feel safe.
- Write about someone who has taught you something cool.
- Write about a sibling, family member, or very close friend. Make a list of the best things about them.
- Write about an animal that you have a special connection with.
- Write about an exciting piece of news you’ve received.
- Write about a job, project, or assignment you’ve been given that makes you joyful.
- Write about three to five things you appreciate more now than you did a year or two ago.
- Thinking about your health, what are a few things you possibly take for granted? (For example, not having a headache, or pain, or having healed from an injury). How can you remember to be grateful for what is not there?
- What new doors have opened for you lately?
- Write about old doors that have closed. What can you take away from those experiences? What have you had to let go of? Is there a sense of freedom in letting go?
- Think about your home. Make a list of the things in your home that make you feel comfortable (i.e. heat, indoor plumbing, etc.)
- Write about a space (in your home or outside of it) that makes you feel more creative or inspired.
- Write about a goal you’ve recently accomplished. How good did it feel to be done? Who helped you along the way and how might your express your gratitude to them?
- Write about something you’ve won.
- Write about something you’ve lost. How can you learn to be grateful for that experience (or something that came out of it), even though it didn’t go as you’d hoped?
- Write about one thing you love about yourself.
- Write about one thing you’ve learned to accept about yourself. What role does that attribute play in making you who you are?
- Write about your favorite food or foods.
- Write about the joy of a refreshing cold beverage on a hot afternoon.
- Write about a special day you’ve had recently. Who did you spend it with? What did you do? Why was it special?
- Write about a time when you were able to help someone else.
- Make a list of everything in your life that you are definitely not grateful for. Then deliberately try to practice gratitude for the things on that list. What about those things, people, or circumstances can you find the good in? One way to do this is to ask yourself, “Could these things be worse?” And if so, can you find gratitude that they are the way they are instead of worse?
- Describe one or more things in nature that delight you.
- Write about the view from your window. What makes it interesting?
- Describe the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.
- Think about the most mundane aspects of your day, like brushing your teeth or doing the dishes. What people and events were involved in making those tasks a possibility for you? Are you grateful that you have the ability to do those tasks, even though you may not enjoy them?
- Write about a book that you loved reading.
- What’s one thing you’ve done in your life that you never thought you’d be able to do? What made it possible?
- Is there something you have enjoyed that is coming to an end soon? If so, reflect on what you’ve enjoyed about it and how it’s impacted your life.
- Recall a kind thing someone has said to you. What was it and how did it make you feel?
- Make a list of your favorite songs. Write about one song that always makes you feel better when you hear it.
- Write about a development or technology that has made your life easier.
- When was the last time you witnessed a random act of kindness? Reflect on it and how it impacted everyone involved.
- Which holiday or seasonal event brings you the most joy? What do you love about it?
- What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
- What is your favorite city? What do you love about it?
- Write about your favorite smell.
- Write about something from your past (an experience or circumstances) that helped make you the unique person you are today.
- Write about something really funny that always makes you laugh.
- What one lesson you’ve learned has had the most profound impact on your life?
- What’s your favorite time of day? What makes it the best?
- What is your favorite way to cheer yourself up when you are having a bad day? What can you use as a reminder to yourself to incorporate these positive experiences into your daily life as much as possible?
- What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? How did it make you stronger or help you move out of your comfort zone? Was it worth it?
- How does practicing gratitude make you more grateful?
If you’re looking to cultivate greater feelings of happiness in your life, gratitude journaling is one of the best ways to start. The prompts we’ve shared with you can help get you started on the path to developing a gratitude practice that works for you. Gratitude has been shown to have countless benefits, so why not give it a try? Download our free gratitude journaling prompts PDF below and get started right away.
Gratitude Journal Prompts PDF
Sophie Agbonkhese is a writer, homeschooling mother of four, and a recovering overachiever (who occasionally relapses). She is the founder of My Cup Runs Over, a site dedicated to helping busy women simplify and enrich their lives. When she’s not writing or debugging websites, Sophie spends her time reading, dancing, bullet journaling, reading, gardening, listening to audiobooks, and striving fruitlessly to have a clean house for at least five minutes.