Gratitude Diaries: What They Are And How To Keep A

Gratitude is an expression of how you feel when you acknowledge something positive in your life. There are several ways to express such feelings, and one of them is through gratitude diaries.

Thanking requires acknowledging something as positive and focusing more on this than on any negative aspects. Taking this into account, gratitude provides benefits to those who actively cultivate it. Not only does it create a sense of calm in the moment, but once it becomes a habit, you learn to focus on the present and on your future well-being.

Gratitude diaries are a way to promote this and help you identify all the little details that make life enjoyable every day.

What are gratitude diaries?

As the name suggests, it is a notebook in which you keep a kind of diary. It’s just not for all daily experiences, but only for some specific ones.

The idea of ​​a gratitude diary is to help yourself become aware of the good things around you that you might otherwise overlook. As a result, you learn to focus on the positive aspects of your life and put problems aside for a while.

Sometimes we forget that life always has good and bad sides. But it is important not to overlook the good sides and allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the bad ones. So a gratitude diary helps you stay focused on the positive.

How to make a gratitude diary?

There are many types of gratitude diaries that you can buy in stores and that come with instructions on what to do. They even start each section with an inspirational phrase or thought.

You can also use a simple notebook as long as you complete the exercises at the beginning and end of each day. In any case, it takes no more than five minutes to work on a gratitude diary, and it can be very helpful.

The basic idea is very simple: Write down everything you are grateful for. But to do it in a more methodical way, to focus and be more concise, here are some suggestions.

Gratitude Diaries: Morning

Write the following in your notebook in the morning, preferably shortly after you wake up.

• First, three things that you are grateful for. It can be something general, e.g. your health, your work or your family, or something very specific like the coffee you drink now.
• Next, two things that you think should happen in order for your day to be positive. It should preferably be specific, observable and realistic events.

• And finally a positive affirmation about yourself. This must also be realistic, because it is important not to cheat yourself, as it does not contribute to a healthy self-esteem at all.

Gratitude Diaries: Notes in the Evening

It is positive and beneficial to reflect in the evening on how your day has gone. It allows you to value what you have achieved in relation to your goals and to continue working on the future. It also helps you to feel calm and relaxed when you go to bed.

With this in mind, you can write the following in your gratitude diary before going to bed:

• Three good things that have happened to you during the day. They do not have to be what you wanted in the morning. As long as they are positive, that’s fine.
• Two things that could have made the day better. Think about what you could change that is within your reach, but without regretting or blaming yourself or gaining a self-destructive attitude.

It may seem contradictory to be grateful for the latter. It is often the things that do not go well that help you learn and make you stronger. They provide an opportunity for improvement.

The importance of cultivating gratitude

Just five minutes a day working on your gratitude diary can help you change your state of mind if you have been stuck or depressed for a while. Cultivating gratitude helps you not only to see the positive in the present moment, but also in what has happened to get you to where you are.

Reviewing what did not go as you expected will also help you become aware of what you are not doing right so that you can evaluate your performance. And mutatis mutandis : Let what needs to change change.

There are even more benefits to cultivating gratitude from a physical and mental health point of view:

• By appreciating the positive things around you, you control the negative emotions that amplify the depression.
• You improve your self-awareness and your self-confidence.
• There is no doubt that positive emotions improve health, and gratitude is one of those emotions.
• Research conducted with athletes has shown that those who cultivate gratitude also have a stronger self-esteem.
• If you are more grateful, you will also learn to complain less and stop feeling sorry for yourself and take on the role of victim.
• A positive attitude reduces stress and anxiety associated with insecurity.
• When you show gratitude to your surroundings, they will perceive you as a kind person, you will receive positive feedback, and your relationships with others will improve.

• When you go to bed more satisfied and grateful, you get a better night’s sleep. In fact, a study showed that gratitude has a positive effect on sleep.
• There is also evidence that gratitude is positively associated with physical health.
• Another study showed that grateful people are more resistant to post-traumatic stress.

Always be grateful

It can be a little challenging to keep a gratitude diary in the beginning, both because it is a new habit and because we are not all in the habit of acknowledging the positive things around us. But do not give up when it comes to being grateful!

If it’s hard to find three positive things every day, start with one thing. With practice it becomes easier.

Many people begin by writing down the material positive things. These are the most specific or visible. That is not bad. But do not forget to add why the thing in question makes you feel comfortable.

Over time, you will begin to recognize the importance of spiritual gains more and more. Be grateful for who you are. Always be grateful for everything you can.