I’ve always been a fan of journaling. I have been journaling off and on since I was eight years old. My writing style in my journals has always been as if I’m writing to a friend. I was experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety a few months ago and my typical journaling style wasn’t helping the way it used to. I had seen several people mention how they meditate and think about what they’re grateful for, but I didn’t find that worked for me. So I looked into doing a gratitude journal and felt that was more impactful to me.
Writing has been the most effective way for me to release emotions. So I started writing in my typical journal what I was grateful for that happened each day. I would write my list of what I was grateful for each night before I went to bed, I did this because I tend to stay up at night with racing thoughts and I read that a gratitude journal at night can help release those thoughts. I really wanted to get back to a more peaceful state before falling asleep.
The first week of the gratitude journal practice I didn’t feel much different. I still wasn’t sleeping well, and I was extremely stressed and anxious. But I knew in order to see results I needed to be consistent. After the first week, I began to look forward to that bedtime ritual. Sometimes I would feel so much joy and appreciation I would tear up a bit. I welcomed the openness of emotions that this journaling practice gave me.
My practice of writing what I was grateful for each night continued for two months until I felt I was in a better headspace. I had achieved my goal of less stress and anxiety, as well as falling asleep easier. So I stopped writing what I was grateful for each night. I also wanted my primary journal to be for my traditional writing style and the gratitude journaling was clashing with that.
After three months without doing my gratitude journal practice, I felt the need to do it again. I also realize that gratitude journaling is an important habit that can be beneficial my whole life. It is a wonderful habit to make lifelong. I wanted a special location for this gratitude journal so I googled the most popular gratitude journals and that’s when I came across Promptly Journals. I love that their gratitude journal is spiral bound, I find that easier for writing. They have different prompts for you to answer each day that are thoughtful and take time to really reflect on. There are also blank-lined pages to add your own thoughts or lists of what you’re grateful for outside of the prompts.
Gratitude journaling has been so beneficial in my life. I feel more peace and appreciation. It is so humbling to have a bad day, and then to look back and find what you’re grateful for. It helps me to acknowledge the joys of each day even if they seem small. If you are struggling to avoid stress and anxiety or to even just go to sleep without racing thoughts, try gratitude journaling each night for a month. I think you’ll see a difference in how you feel, and even how you view the world.
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