People practice or embrace gratitude in a variety of ways. You may want to express it by simply telling someone you’re grateful for them. Or, you may choose to volunteer as a way of giving back to your community. However, if you’re like me, you may decide to keep a gratitude journal.
Photo Credit: getradiantlife.com
During the summer of 2018, I fell into a negative slump. Between my sophomore year of college looming over me intimidatingly and inching closer each day, high school friendships falling apart, and my dwindling summer days being spent at a full-time job, I was overwhelmingly stressed and just sad.
I hated that feeling. Staying optimistic had always come naturally to me, but at the time, I was letting all the stressors in my life chip away at my positivity. I couldn’t really understand why I was so dejected – I had so many things in my life to be grateful for.
So, I fished out a notebook from my cluttered desk. It was a gift from one of my closest friends that I hadn’t had a use for until that very moment. The notebook reads “Happy Thoughts” on the cover – it was a perfect coincidence.
Photo Credit: Alexandra Kallfelz
When I climb into bed at the end of each day, I grab my happiness journal and a pen. Then, I write the date on a new line in the notebook, and next to it, I jot down three things that made me happy on that particular day. This forces me to identify the positive parts of my day-to-day life, even on the days when I’m not feeling so cheerful.
My happiness journal is more than just for records of gratitude. Of course, I’m grateful for all the things in my life that make me happy, but my happiness journal functions in a way that typical gratitude journals don’t. By writing down happy parts of my day every single day, I create a record of joyful memories. It’s like a shorthand diary.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve tried to keep a diary. I always figured that in 50 years, with the memories of my childhood and teenage years buried deep in the back of my mind, I would want to be able to look back and recall my life. However, I have never been able to write consistently in a diary. I would always easily forget to do it and, in the age of smartphones that can capture poignant memories with a photo, a diary seemed obsolete and out of date.
But what about the little things? My colored flair pens, the snickerdoodles the dining hall served today, the way my friend smiled when she saw me – they will all be swallowed up by my bottomless pit of memories… Unless I write them down.
Photo Credit: reliavsworld.com
If you’ve always felt that diaries and gratitude journals are too much effort or too corny for you, try my daily practice of keeping a happiness journal. It is a simple and quick way to make sure you focus on the positive and remember all the small moments of joy!
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