Establishing a morning journaling routine can help you plan your day. It can help you to problem-solve when you are trying to work through some important issues. You can also find that it allows you to start your day with gratitude for the wonderful things in your life. There are so many benefits of using a gratitude journal.
Maybe you’re thinking…Whatever! My life isn’t that wonderful. Why should I start my day with a morning journaling routine and writing out things I’m grateful for?!
Believe me when I say that I have been there and at times find myself still feeling this way. I promise you that gratitude helps. Being grateful for even the smallest thing in your life that you have will help. Give it a chance.
What Should I Be Grateful For?
Well, really that is up to you. I will say that the sky is the limit in this area but keep it simple if it doesn’t flow naturally at first. Maybe start with listing 3-5 things you are grateful for each morning. Here are some examples:
- The air you breathe
- Your bed
- 5 minutes to sit down
- Whatever food you have to eat (even if it’s not the best)
- Water to drink
- Family
- Health
- Clothes
- Your home (even if it’s not your dream home)
- Kids
- Spouse
- parents
- Literally, anything you can think of that you are happy you have
***Just remember you have to feel grateful for it while practicing your morning journaling routine.
What is a gratitude journal?
A gratitude journal is a place for you to write down things in your life you are thankful for (see list above). Things that make you happy and feel appreciative. It’s a place to document your thoughts which can help you down the road.
The cool thing is there are many done for your gratitude journals with prompts built-in. For instance, my digital gratitude journal for GoodNotes or Notability.
What are the benefits of a gratitude journal?
The benefits of a gratitude journal are numerous. Keeping a gratitude journal has the potential to improve your health and wellness by boosting mental and emotional well-being BUT you have to do the work.
The benefits of a gratitude journal can also (in my opinion) be subjective, but only because I feel like you can go through the motions of journaling without feeling grateful. Without being committed to the process.
You can also start a gratitude journal without any type of routine in place to make it a habit. This is important too.
Glenn Fox, an expert in the science of gratitude at USC Performance Science Institute says, “The limits to gratitude’s health benefits are really in how much you pay attention to feeling and practicing gratitude.”
Journaling
Obviously, the process of keeping a journal isn’t something new. “Journaling (or keeping letters or diaries) is an ancient tradition, one that dates back to at least 10th century Japan.” (Purcell) Throughout history, people have been keeping journals to write down what happens throughout their day, document important events in history, or just about daily life. It’s part of why we know anything about the past.
While there are people who journal publicly via a blog or social media, these days journaling has become a far more private activity. Many people journal to help with specific issues they are going through in their life or to deal with things like anxiety or depression. Journaling is a way to help manage the emotions you are feeling, work through tough situations, and manage stress.
You can also use journaling if you have goals or tasks that need to be performed. Writing out the order of priority that each task takes, and being able to focus on which ones demand the most attention.
Keeping a Journal Helps You to Work Things Out
Keeping a journal is a great way to problem-solve. By writing down situations you are working through, you can read your words back to yourself. It becomes much easier to see where the obstacles really are.
This is especially true when working through a problem in a relationship with someone else. Sometimes you have to be willing to take a step back and reflect on the events that have occurred. Through a morning journaling routine, you can help to preserve all of your thoughts and feelings about a situation so that you don’t have to rely on the distortions of memory. This will help you to make meaningful and unbiased changes to your attitude if it’s necessary.
You Can See How Far You’ve Come
When you journal about where you were, you can see the progress you are making. If you are just keeping a gratitude journal you can look back at how your daily gratitude list has evolved. I promise you will be amazed to see how you continue to find things each day to be thankful for.
Being able to see your own progress has a positive impact on the way you feel about yourself and your motivation. Don’t lose track of where you are. Learn about the benefits of a gratitude journal by starting your own morning journaling routine right away.
What do I Need to Start a Journal?
Keep it simple. I like to journal digitally because I feel it’s more private. Some months I use my free Gratitude log and just do one or two things per morning as part of my morning journaling routine. Sometimes I journal in my digital gratitude journal via GoodNotes on my iPad (Amazon Affiliate Link). You can check it out here.
Do what works for you. But start now. You will feel the difference it makes.
Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM)
Behavior Change Specialist (NASM)
References
Lindberg, E. (2019) Practicing gratitude can have profound health benefits, USC experts say. Retrieved on July 22, 2020, from https://news.usc.edu/163123/gratitude-health-research-thanksgiving-usc-experts/
Purcell, M. (2018). The Health Benefits of Journaling. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 22, 2020, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-health-benefits-of-journaling/
