One late night, I was sharing my feelings of loneliness with a good friend in hopes of gaining some new advice and a different perspective. As I was explaining how it felt more difficult to remember the good moments I’ve had in college so far, it seemed like a light bulb went off in her head. In my time of vulnerability, she remembered her own similar moments, telling me that when she shared similar experiences with her therapist she was told to consider journaling. However, she explained it wasn’t about the typical ranting or recounting of your entire day like you do with a diary: it was gratitude journaling.
I’d heard of gratitude journaling before during my high school’s mental health initiatives; however, I never really looked into it or bothered to try it. How naive I was. When my friend mentioned it, I asked how to go about the practice. Was I to keep a journal with me and write down whenever something made me happy? Was I supposed to rewrite the bad moments, twisting them and attempting to be grateful for them? My racing thoughts were cut short by a realization — there was no right way to journal your gratitude. Everybody’s mental health journey is different, and there’s no “one-size fits all” attitude.
That night, I got back to my dorm and found an untouched notebook perfect for jotting down my thoughts. With my pen in my hand, I felt so lost. I’d journaled before, but I was used to scribbling all my negative thoughts and feelings to get them out of my head; this was different. As I started to recall my mediocre Monday, I began to smile at a few memories. At the beginning of the day, I remembered answering a question in my large lecture and receiving validation from my professor. Then, I remembered the comfort I felt while having lunch. I recalled making a new friend in my writing class and easily getting to know them over dinner. Then, I ended my day with a bit of self-care, cleaning my room and diving into one of my favorite hobbies, making Spotify playlists. Quite quickly, my mediocre Monday turned into a memorable one.
Gratitude journaling took a lot more energy out of me than I was used to. It required me to really recall my daily experiences to find the small things I was grateful for. I find a bit of fulfillment in the mundane, and all it takes is a pen and paper.
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