Starting a gratitude journal can be a challenge, but with these 30 prompts, you can kickstart your habit to more positivity.
- What is Gratitude Journaling?
- What to Include in Your Gratitude Journal:
- 30 Gratitude Journal Prompts for Beginners
- How Helpful are Gratitude Journaling Prompts?
- Questions You May Have
What is Gratitude Journaling?
Gratitude journaling is the act of writing down the things you are grateful for.
It is a simple but powerful day-to-day life practice that can help you cultivate gratitude, improve your mental health, and increase your overall life satisfaction.
Gratitude journaling is not about ignoring negative emotions or pretending that everything is perfect. It’s quite the opposite.
It is about acknowledging the good things in your life, even when they’re so small you have trouble pinpointing them.
By focusing on the positive, you can shift your mindset and improve your overall outlook on life.
Some benefits of gratitude journaling include:
- Increased happiness and life satisfaction
- Improved mental health and well-being
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Better sleep quality
- Increased resilience and ability to cope with challenges
Recommended Article: How To Start A Goals And Gratitude Journal
Why is Gratitude Journaling Important?
It’s true that whenever you focus on something, that thing tends to expand and become more prominent in your life.
For example,
When you focus on the lack of money, that lack of money will become bigger because you’re focusing your attention and energy on it.
On the other hand, when you focus your attention on the things that make you happy, excited, grateful, and overjoyed, more of those things will start showing up in your life.
That’s the purpose of a gratitude journal.
It trains your brain to stop focusing on negative things and reroute that focus to all the great things happening in your life. Even if that great thing is simply having some fresh water to drink when you’re thirsty.
Making gratitude journaling a daily habit can be a simple but effective way to improve your overall well-being and future.
By taking a few minutes each day to reflect on what went well, and what you are thankful for, you can rewire your brain to have a more positive outlook on life.
It can also help you appreciate the small things in your daily life that you may have taken for granted.
From positively affecting your mental and physical health, to building better relationships, practicing gratitude is a habit worth incorporating into your daily routine.
What to Include in Your Gratitude Journal:
Writing in a journal can seem silly and tedious for some people and that’s completely understandable.
However, if you’re not happy with your life currently, what’s holding you back from starting something small that could shift your life in the direction you desire?
Here are a few things to consider when writing in your gratitude journal:
Things You Are Grateful For
Since this is the main theme for this type of journal, it’s safe to say that you will be writing about things that you are indeed grateful for.
To uncomplicate things, being grateful simply means expressing appreciation for the good things in your life.
These good things can be as simple as delicious food, your own warm bed to sleep on, or having an umbrella when it rains.
Don’t have to limit yourself to only big events or accomplishments; anything that brings you joy and makes you feel grateful is worth noting.
People You Are Grateful For
Imagine being the only person left on earth, how would you feel?
Even though people get on top of our last nerves sometimes, we as humans need people around.
Your friends, family, and partners play a huge role in your life and they do provide some semblance of a community, which is important for all of our development.
When you start appreciating the people around you for exactly who they are, more like-minded people will gravitate toward you.
Write about the people in your life who have made a positive impact even if simply smiling at you when you were in a bad mood.
Experiences You Are Grateful For
Your experiences in life are what make you different from the next person you’ll see today.
What have you done that was exciting? What vacation did you take that you were looking forward to for years? What fear did you overcome?
These are the things that make you, you.
Don’t shy away from writing about your experiences, they’re what makes your life worth living.
Reflect on experiences that have brought you joy, lessons, and lots of blessings, and write about them all.
Remember that your gratitude journal is a personal reflection of your life and your perspective. Use it as a tool to adjust your mindset and focus on the good in your life.
30 Gratitude Journal Prompts for Beginners
Gratitude journal prompts help you to practice gratitude.
You won’t know what to write about all the time when it comes to journaling so having prompts, especially gratitude prompts can help you out.
Here are 50 gratitude journal prompts to help get you started:
- What is something I take for granted that I am grateful to have?
- What was a kind gesture someone did for me recently that left an impression?
- What is one thing I can do today to make my life better?
- Who are the people in my life that have made a positive difference? What have they done?
- What do I like about the neighborhood I live in?
- What are some of the most beautiful things I have seen recently?
- What can I do to show appreciation to my family member or friends today?
- What is one thing that brings me joy and why am I grateful for it?
- What are three things that always make me smile?
- What is one thing I am proud of from the past week?
- How has taking a break from technology helped me to reconnect with my inner self?
- What am I most grateful for right now? List 5 things and why
- Write about a moment that I truly felt present. Include all the details of what happened and how it felt.
- What lessons have I learned in the past week?
- List five things that make me excited for tomorrow morning
- Describe my favorite place to be and what it makes me feel
- Name a kind act of service that someone did for me without expecting anything in return
- What could I do today to make sure someone else smiles?
- What do I know now that I was completely clueless about six months ago?
- What is a skill or talent that I am proud of? How has it evolved since I started learning it?
- How have I grown and progressed in the last year?
- Who are some people that I admire and why?
- List three things that give me energy when I’m feeling unmotivated
- How have I been able to bring out the best in others lately?
- What new experience has broadened my perspective in the last few months?
- What is a book, film, or song that I have enjoyed recently and why?
- Describe three things in nature that I appreciate. Why are these things significant to me?
- If I could thank one person for the impact they made in my life, who would it be and why?
- When I’m happy, how do I express it?
- What’s one thing I saw today that lifted my mood?
How Helpful are Gratitude Journaling Prompts?
When life becomes hectic and little chores occupy your attention more than you care to admit, finding the inspiration to write or being grateful for life in that moment doesn’t come naturally, but that’s where you have to rewire your thought process.
When you can stand in front of a dirty kitchen and be grateful that you have a dishwasher to do most of the work for you, or appreciate the fact that you didn’t have to walk a mile or more to get fresh water just to clean the dishes, you know you’ve successfully rewired your brain.
By the way, I used to walk to get fresh water multiple times to do the dishes on an outside table, so having a sink inside the house was a huge upgrade to now owning a countertop dishwasher, my younger self would be overjoyed.
It’s small experiences like this that make a lasting impression on us and provide a solid reflection of our life experiences.
Walking to get fresh water is a part of my unique experience, what’s yours?
These gratitude journal prompts are meant to give you a jumpstart when it comes to becoming more mindful about expressing your appreciation for life’s blessings and simple joys.
How are you going to express your gratitude today?
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Questions You May Have
Why should I keep a gratitude journal?
Simply saying what you’re grateful for in life can have its benefits but when you consciously make the decision to take your gratefulness a step further and write it down, that’s sending a stronger message to the universe that you are indeed grateful and appreciative of the blessings that already came to you and are on the way.
How do I start a gratitude journal?
Start simple and describe something that made you happy this morning. Even if that thing lasted only a few seconds, make sure to be as detailed as possible about why you’re so grateful for that thing.
What are some things I can write in my gratitude journal?
Your gratitude journal is your private possession, you can write about any and everything so don’t limit yourself to only writing about big accomplishments. Write about how it felt when you woke up this morning, or how relieved you were when you didn’t forget something important. Anything and everything counts, just make sure you add a lot of detail to it, your future self will thank you for being so descriptive.
How often should I write in my gratitude journal?
To successfully make journaling a habit, you should consider incorporating it into your daily life. Taking just two minutes in the morning to write about what you’re looking forward to and what specifically about it makes you happy can set a positive tone for your day. If you prefer to write in the evenings, gratitude journaling can help you reflect on the day’s events and hold onto the positive moments. All it takes is a few minutes of your time.
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I love using prompts when writing out things I’m grateful for as sometimes there’s an area of life I forget to think of when journalling! Great list!
I got you covered Katherine, I hope you enjoy them all!
These are really good journal prompts. I admit sometimes I blank out when I start to write so these are some new guides I can definitely keep in mind next time. thanks for sharing!
Use them up Jena, never go blank ever again, I’m here to help 🙂
These are great!
Thanks Kirsten
I love that you included so many journal prompts! It’s easy to open a journal and have your mind go completely blank, or only focus on big accomplishments. This is so helpful. Pinning for later!
My mind goes blank all the time Erin so having a guide always helps to free up the words so they can just flow. Also if you were signed up to my weekly newsletter, you’d have received 10 extra prompts!
I love to have a gratitude journal. I believe your prompts will be a good model for me to design one for myself. Thanks for sharing this awesome post!
That’s a great idea, I’ll definitely design one Hari
As a person who loves questions, this really got my thoughts stirring. Such good reflection questions!
Write everything that comes to mind Hannah, those are valuable thoughts your mind is throwing at you.
I love these prompts. As a blogger and as a person always looking to improve myself! I jot down my gratitude in my daily goals tracker but could do more! 🙂 Pinned to have for future reference!
Thanks Laurie, enjoy them all!
Nice prompts to start on!
Sweet! thanks
I love these prompts! Beautiful food for thought thank you!
You’re very welcome Mia, thank you for stopping by.
Love these journal prompts!! Really helped and inspired my gratitude practice, thank you so much for sharing.
Always looking for journaling content and love the gratitude prompts! I look forward to reading more articles!
Thank you for this list of journal ideas. It can really help when I am stuck and just don’t know what to journal about.