Gratefulness Journaling

Welcome to day 2 of the gratefulness challenge. Wasn’t yesterday great? We talked about the practice of noticing.

Today we’re going to be working on gratefulness journaling.

REFLECTION:

Gratefulness journaling takes the practice of noticing a step further. It involves first noticing things you are grateful for, then taking action and actually writing down those things in a journal.

You might be wondering why it’s necessary to write down the things you notice.

Two reasons for this.

First, when we write things down, it gives us time to reflect. Writing, especially writing by hand, forces us

to slow down and think.

When you write about what you’re grateful for, it allows you to pause and consider WHY you’re so

grateful for a particular thing.

Second, writing down the things you’re grateful for reinforces them in your mind. It’s like noticing them a

second time and being grateful for them all over again. This practice of “double gratefulness” can literally double your joy.

When you write down what you’re grateful for, it freshly focuses your attention on those things and

gives you a fresh appreciation for all that you have to be grateful for.

ACTION:

There’s no need to overcomplicate this.

Get a notebook – any kind will do. At the end of each day, write down at least TEN things from your day that you’re grateful for. They can be big things, like getting a raise at work, to little things, like holding your daughter’s hand on a walk.

Also, write down WHY you’re grateful for those particular things. What about them makes you happy?

Why are you grateful for them?

Finally, after you’ve written each thing down, say a brief word of thanks for it. Take the opportunity to be

grateful again in the moment. This practice doesn’t need to take long. You should be able to do it in 5-10 minutes. The goal is simply to get yourself in a state of gratefulness at the end of the day.

Now, before we dive in tomorrow, take a moment to share in the comments how this went for you. Did you find it challenging to come up with ten things to be grateful for? What was it like writing them down? I

can’t wait to hear your comments.

Tomorrow we’re going to be talking about the powerful practice of saying, “Thank you.”

Warm regards,

Coleen, Reflective Soul Counselling