This gratitude journal takes a slower, more detailed approach. Twice a week, write an entry about one thing you are grateful for: a person, a job, a great meal with friends, or anything else that comes to mind. The worksheet offers these tips:
- Don't rush to write the first thing that comes to mind. Take time to think about what you are grateful for, and expect each entry to take 10 to 20 minutes.
- The worksheet suggests that writing about people you are grateful for tends to go deeper than writing about things.
- Explain in detail why you are grateful. If you are grateful for a kind friend, describe what they do that is kind and why that matters to you.
- Aim for two solid entries each week, keep your journal somewhere you will see it, plan when you will write, and set a phone alarm if you might forget.
Prompts are optional, such as “Someone whose company I enjoy,” “A reason to be excited for the future,” “An act of kindness I witnessed or received,” and “Something beautiful I saw.” The page has room for four entries, each with a date.
Many people find that writing about gratitude shifts their attention toward what is going well. For research on a related practice, Joel Wong's article How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain describes a study of nearly 300 adults seeking counseling at a university: those who wrote gratitude letters reported better mental health weeks later than those who did not. Gratitude writing complements professional mental health care and does not replace it.
Prefer a lighter daily habit? Gratitude Journal 2 asks for a minute of reflection each weekday.
