Keeping a a Diary of Gratitude
I kept a gratitude diary for 2 years. At this time I was going through my Post Natal Depression mental health journey. Some days, all I would write was, ‘I’ve put the laundry on today’. I no longer keep one, but the lessons I learnt have stayed with me.
Why keep a diary of gratitude?
- It helps you to focus on the positive aspects of your day and your life, even if it’s only 1 thing per day.
- It helps you put things into perspective. One negative thought, word, or deed can skew our outlook for the whole day.
- Upon reading back through my diary, I learned so much. I had achieved much more than I had realised. My life was full of joy!
So how do you get started?
For the first year, I used a page-a-day paper diary. In the second year, I noted things on my phone list app at the end of each day. Each week, I transferred this to my paper diary. At the end of the year, I read both.
You can choose how you note things down. Pen and paper feel different, and you feel a real connection to your thoughts. The diary doesn’t need to be expensive—any notebook will do—but buying a specific one will help to make the process more memorable.
Consistency is key to keeping a diary of gratitude.
You may not notice a difference after a few days or even weeks. But you will start to notice more things to be grateful for.
Some prompts to help, if you get stuck:
Use all your senses – what smells are you grateful for? What tastes good? What music makes you feel good?
What body part are you grateful for?
Who makes you laugh hard?
What was the best compliment you received? How did you feel?
Let me know how you get on and what revelations you have from your gratitude diary.
