What Is Gratitude Journaling? 5 Benefits of a Gratitude Practice
Gratitude journaling involves reflecting on things you are grateful for every single day. Learn more about the benefits of gratitude journaling and how you can get started today.
What is gratitude journaling?
Gratitude journaling involves reflecting on a few things (usually around three) that you are grateful for every single day. Whether you are writing down three things or sounding off about what you’re grateful for through an audio journal app, the act of gratitude journaling centers you on the good that happens in your day.
Gratitude journaling benefits
Dedicating time every single day to reflecting on the positive aspects of your life has a ton of benefits including:
Easier to find the good in every situation
Having to come up with three different things every single day that you are grateful for trains your brain to look for the good in every single situation. Even on bad days where nothing seems to go right, the act of gratitude journaling forces you to find the good in even the worst of days.
Increases happiness
Finding the good in every single day has an impact on your happiness levels. In one study, researchers found that participants in their gratitude-outlook groups experienced increased well-being compared to other groups. Their results suggest that there could be a positive relationship between happiness and gratitude.
Helps you get through difficult times
Reminding yourself of all that you have to be thankful for makes it easier to get through those difficult times in your life. A gratitude practice helps put the difficult situation into perspective.
Helps you enjoy the little things in life
Sometimes it’s the little things that make us smile, such as a quick conversation with a friend or a nice email from a coworker. Taking time to reflect on that helps us appreciate those small moments throughout our day that bring light to our life.
Helps with stress, anxiety, and depression
In one study, researchers found that practicing gratitude helped protect participants from stress and depression. In another study done on over 500 Chinese university students, they found that a gratitude practice can help counteract symptoms of depression by creating more peace of mind and reducing ruminative thinking.
And there are so many more benefits that you can experience! Give gratitude journaling a try to find out for yourself.
Try A Free Voice Journal App.
Download our free voice journaling app and try our Gratitude starter series to start gratitude journaling today. Download the free iOS and Android app, here.
