Gratitude Journal: Examples, Ideas, and Strategies

By Tchiki Davis, MA, PhD

What is a gratitude journal? Why might you want a gratitude journal? And how do you make sure you stick to using your gratitude journal? Here are some science-based strategies.

*This page may include affiliate links; that means I earn from qualifying purchases of products.

What Is a Gratitude Journal?

A gratitude journal is a notebook, diary, or even an app where you can keep track of the things that you're grateful for. You simply note down the things you are grateful for each day or a few times per week. There are lots of different types of gratitude journals (more below). So when it comes to defining what a gratitude journal is, it's really up to you to make it what you want it to be.

Benefits of Gratitude Journaling

Gratitude is thought to be an essential part of prosocial behavior [1]. Moreover, gratitude journaling is thought to boost well-being [2]. Some suggest that gratitude is good for us because it can help us think positive. It also may strengthen our connections to others because we appreciate them more and they notice. In addition, gratitude may be one of the easier emotional skills to develop. Unlike mindfulness, which can be quite tricky to learn, gratitude is relatively easy. So a simple gratitude journal is a great place to start when it comes to self-care.

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5 of the Best Gratitude Journals

1. ​Good Days Start With Gratitude: A 52 Week Guide To Cultivate An Attitude Of Gratitude: Gratitude Journal

Good Days Start With Gratitude is a 52 week guide to cultivate an attitude of gratitude! It is a self exploration journal designed to focus on being thankful for what we have, the big things in life, as well as the simple joys. If you start each day by writing down three things you are thankful for - a good cup of coffee, the smell of rain, starting a good book - you begin each day on the right note.

Check prices on Amazon.

2. ​True You: A Self-Discovery Journal of Prompts and Exercises to Inspire Reflection and Growth​

Empower yourself to discover who you are, what you love, and what you desire out of life. True You is a beautifully illustrated self discovery journal that combines thought-provoking prompts and creative exercises to help you gain meaningful introspection and unlock your potential.

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3. The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: Give Thanks, Practice Positivity, Find Joy

Happiness begins with gratitude―the feeling of appreciation for the people and experiences in our lives that have helped or supported us in some way. The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal makes it easy and enjoyable to develop a daily gratitude practice, with insightful prompts that take just 5 minutes to complete.

​Check prices on Amazon.

4. Gratitude: A Day and Night Reflection Journal (90 Days)

Gratitude: A Day and Night Reflection Journal will help you center your day around positive feelings and gratitude. It’s the perfect place to record and celebrate anything that you are grateful for and to preserve important memories. This 90-day journal gives you a path to creating a habit of daily gratitude that you can carry with you throughout your life. ​

Check prices on Amazon.

5. Life & Apples Wellness Planner - Food Journal and Fitness Diary with Daily Gratitude and Meal Planner for Healthy Living

ALL-IN-ONE WELLNESS PLANNER - daily gratitude, food journal, meal planner, workout schedule, diet diary, habit tracker, goal progress review and a monthly calendar layout.
​
Check prices on Amazon.

Video: How to Start a Gratitude Journal

Gratitude Journaling Examples

Sometimes, especially when we're feeling sad, it's hard to figure out what to be grateful for. Here are some examples to help you start thinking of things that you can write about in your gratitude journal.

People to be grateful for

• Family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, coaches, teachers, service people, teammates, colleagues, and co-workers.

Things to be grateful for

• Home, car, sentimental items, beautiful items (e.g., jewelry), nature.

Places to be grateful for

• The beach, the mountains, the movie theatre, under warm blankets, the gym, your favorite store, or your friends' house.

​
Experiences to be grateful for

• The wind on your skin, going on a rollercoaster,  swimming, sports, arts & crafts, playing games, and laughing.

Feelings to be grateful for

• Joy, excitement, contentment, enthusiasm, passion, ecstasy, curiosity, calmness, and relaxation.

​Other stuff to be grateful for

• Pets, foods, drinks, the ability to think of things to be grateful for, and life itself.

Gratitude Journal Words

Need some more words to explain your gratitude in your gratitude journal.

Here are some gratitude words:

• Thankfulness
• Appreciation
• Acknowledgment

And here are some more idea for how to express words of gratitude:

• "You made a difference when you ______"
• "You are amazing because ____"
• "Kudos to you for______"
• "I felt special when you _____"

And here are some quick gratitude statements you can use:

• What would I do without you?
• The world needs more people like you.
• What you said/did meant a lot to me.

Gratitude Practices to Do in Your Gratitude Journal

1. Gratitude notes

Gratitude notes are small notes of appreciation designated for specific people. You can draft these notes in your gratitude journal by thinking of a few people you appreciated recently. Ask yourself: What did they do? Why was it important to you? Then write out a note or two on a sticky or in a text message to send to these people. By sharing your gratitude you can amplify it and make others feel good too.

2. The gratitude letter

A gratitude letter is a longer version of a gratitude note. This can be a good thing to write to  a parent, spouse, or long-term friend—someone who has been in your life a long while. In your letter, try to think of all the things that make this person great and why you're so grateful that they are in your life. For more help, check out this gratitude letter practice.

3. Gratitude drawings

Not all of us are left brain thinkers. Some of us can better explore and understand what we're grateful for through visuals. If this sounds like you, try making a gratitude drawing in your gratitude journal. You could draw the people you are grateful, the pets, the foods, and anything else you can think of.

4. The gratitude collection

We can also collect things that we're grateful for. Things like photos of loved ones, ticket stubs, and fall leaves can all turn a gratitude journal into a gratitude collection. If you like Pinterest, you can also create a collection of photos and other things you are grateful for there. Then just check it every now and then to remind you of all the good things there are in the world.

Gratitude Meditations

Doing gratitude meditations can help shift your focus and boost your positive feelings. Here is one audio gratitude meditation you might like. Doing these meditations and then recording your feelings in your gratitude journal can be a fun way to spice up your gratitude journaling practice. Below are some video gratitude meditations that you can use.

Gratitude Bullet Journals

A bullet journal is a method of personal organization for daily journaling. Its goal is to track the past, order the present, and design the future. It often includes a system of symbols (e.g. dashes, asterisks, circles, etc.) to organize information. It can also include to-do lists, logs, lists, and trackers. All of this is done in a blank or dotted notebook.

Bullet journals naturally lend themselves to gratitude journals because gratitude is something best practiced each day (or at least a few times per week), and it can be helpful to look back on past gratitude. Below are a couple of ideas for how to create a gratitude bullet journal.

Video: Self-Care & Gratitude Bullet Journal Spreads

Video: Making a Decorative Gratitude Log

More Gratitude Journal Ideas to Try

Here are some more gratitude practices to try and write about in your journal:

• Mental Subtraction of Positive Events: This exercise can help you increase your feelings of gratitude for positive events in your life by visualizing and writing about what your life would be like without them [3].
• Give It Up: Research has shown that we can sustain gratitude over time by temporarily giving things we care about up. This can help us to enjoy and savor things more once we resume them [4].
• Three Good Things: We can increase our gratitude by listing 3 good things each day for a week [5].

Self-Focused Gratitude vs. Other-Focused Gratitude

We've already talked a bit about how to share gratitude with others, but what about gratitude for ourselves. Sometimes when we have low self-worth, we have little gratitude for the good things about ourselves. That's why focusing some of our gratitude journal on ourselves may be beneficial. If we can be self-compassionate and think of self-focused gratitude--I'm thankful that I am smart and hardworking—we can also use gratitude to boost our self-confidence.

Images for Your Gratitude Journal

Do you need some inspiration for what to include in your gratitude journal? Here are some images that may help inspire gratitude.

Questions to Ask Yourself in Your Gratitude Journal

Need some questions to help get you thinking about new things to include in your gratitude journal? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• What skills or abilities are you thankful to have?
• Are there any positive changes that have occurred in your life that you can be thankful for?
• Is there anything in your town or city that you are grateful for?
• What music are you thankful for?
• What foods are you most thankful for?​​

How to Use Your Gratitude Journal to Feel Better

Trying to find the silver linings or the things we are grateful for in difficult situations, it's called reappraisal. This emotion regulation strategy helps you turn your negativity into positivity and turn negative situations into more pleasurable situations. You can try it now by thinking of a slightly negative situation. Then list the things about that situation that you were grateful for—for example, it could have been even worse! If you need more ideas, check out this positive reappraisal activity.

How to Use Your Gratitude Journal to Savor Good Things

Savoring is a strategy that often uses gratitude to amplify and extend positive emotional experiences. You can try out savoring in your gratitude journal by thinking of a recent experience that was good. Take a moment to think about all the positives in that situation and everything you're grateful for that led up to it or made it what it was. This can help you get the most out of the positive emotions you do have.

Articles Related to Gratitude Journaling

Here are a few more related articles that you may be interested in:

• ​Gratitude: Definition, Examples, and Gratitude Practices
• How to Practice Gratitude on Social Media—and How Not To
• 6 Ways to Stay Positive While Social Distancing​

Final Thoughts on Gratitude Journaling 

If you make a commitment to a gratitude journal (even if only for a short time) it can help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude. That's where you don't need to try so hard to feel grateful—you just will. You'll notice more of the good things and feel the gratitude bubbling up on its own.

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References

1. Kini, P., Wong, J., McInnis, S., Gabana, N., & Brown, J. W. (2016). The effects of gratitude expression on neural activity. NeuroImage, 128, 1-10.
2. Flinchbaugh, C. L., Moore, E. W. G., Chang, Y. K., & May, D. R. (2012). Student well-being interventions: The effects of stress management techniques and gratitude journaling in the management education classroom. Journal of Management Education, 36(2), 191-219.
3. Seligman, M. E., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410.
​4. Quoidbach, J., & Dunn., E. W. (2013). Give it up: A strategy for combating hedonic adaptation. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5, 511-516.
5. Seligman, M. E., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410.

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