You’ve probably seen gratitude journaling preached on socials before, adorned by perfect calligraphy and practiced with unwavering commitment–a true pillar of the clean girl persona. But how beneficial and realistic could this practice truly be? This past summer, I challenged myself to stick to it for the full month of July, and came away from it with the observations I’ve recorded below:
Gratitude Definitions & Practices
To start off, it’s important to note that gratitude journaling isn’t one distinct thing: I’ve come across many definitions and outlines of the practice, and the consequent beauty of this is how easily tailored to the individual it can be. Some employ specific prompts when they write, others don’t; some set aside a regular time for the practice, while others simply let the time find them.
How I personally chose to approach gratitude journaling involved simplifying it as much as possible–because when have I ever been able to stick to a practice like this in the past. As much as I would like the aesthetics and principle of using a physical journal, for example, utilizing my notes app made the most sense. It conveniently allowed me to add an entry whenever I came across a spare moment, like slow hours at work, or lying aimlessly on the beach.
I also focused on consistency more than substance. I found that limiting constraints like prompts made it feel less like a chore, and the freedom to make an entry even just a few words long helped me truly stick to it. Some days, what I wrote was as simple as gratitude for a good latte from my favorite hometown cafe, while other days, it became an intricate overview of my day. Turns out this more forgiving strategy works–I successfully came out of July with an entry for every single day.
Mood & Attitude
One of the key goals of gratitude journaling tends to be stated as the creation of a positive mindset, and this is something I did notice progress in. Having to consciously identify the things I was grateful for each day made me reflect a lot more on the positive experiences I had, and honestly helped me appreciate them all the more retrospectively.
I would also note that my attitude towards the future seemed to become more positive–though it was easy to get stuck in the looming burden of responsibilities and commitments and struggles to come, gratitude journaling made me equally curious about what happy moments I’d be entering the next day, placing a comforting emphasis on the good to come.
Stress & Sleep
Another claim I’ve seen made often is that regular gratitude journaling can help reduce stress and anxiety, going on to affect sleep, bloating, and a multitude of health-related factors.
For me personally, I didn’t notice a whole lot of difference in these aspects of my life. Though I felt like I had a more positive mindset day-to-day to counter-balance stress and the like, it didn’t necessarily reduce these unpleasant feelings.
Maybe a month wasn’t enough to truly reap the benefits, or maybe it comes down to the simple fact that as college students, we live in an extremely fast-paced and demanding world, and it’s hard for such a simple practice to mediate that. That’s not to say it’s impossible, however, and it might still be effective at curbing these symptoms depending on the person.
Memories
Finally, thinking back, one of the best parts of gratitude journaling for me has become the many memories encoded through even the smallest observations of appreciation.
For an entire month of my life this past summer, just by sticking to this simple practice, I now have a record of exactly what made me feel good: people, experiences, and thoughts forever memorialized. It was honestly so entertaining to read through the entries at the end of the month, detailing anything from a fourth of July spent with my favorite people to a memorable conversation with a regular at work.
“If I could only recommend gratitude journaling for one reason, it would probably be this very reason: to remember the happy little details of the day-to-day that often slip through our fingers.”
To Sum it all up:
Is gratitude journaling effective? In my opinion, if you set fair expectations, it definitely can be. Small improvements are improvements all the same.
Is it sustainable? I’ve noticed it’s definitely been hard to pick back up at Brown with a busy schedule and long priority list, but it’s not impossible. If you simplify the practice to even just a few words, and just make a conscious effort to add whenever you have a second, like in line for Blue Room or on the walk to class, it can definitely be a manageable practice.
Would I do it again? Absolutely. I believe gratitude in general is a really valuable mindset to cultivate however you might choose to do it. Even though the positive impact wasn’t necessarily anything transformative, the memories were fun to look back on all the same, and a little positivity never hurt anyone!