Throughout each day, we experience so many things to be thankful for: the homes and communities in which we live, food on our table, friends, and family — all of these make our lives worth living. Sometimes, though, we lose sight of what we have and focus on the negative aspects of our lives, getting caught up in life’s big and little disappointments.

Fortunately, there is a remedy for this tendency: practicing gratitude. Practicing gratitude means being intentional about recognizing those things that are going well for us, the resources we have, and the people we know. When we practice gratitude, we start to experience the world as a positive place and other people as human beings with whom we can have positive connections.

What Is a Gratitude Journal?

A gratitude journal is a tool that can help you begin and continue the practice of being grateful. Many mental health practitioners and spiritual leaders recommend journaling as a practice for personal and spiritual development. Gratitude journaling takes this practice a step further by focusing your journal or notebook specifically on what you’re grateful for and why.

Gratitude journals can help you get in the habit of practicing gratitude. There are journals for kids and adults specifically designed to help you identify and reflect on things you’re grateful for.

How to Create Your Own Gratitude Journal

Another option is to create your own gratitude journal using a standard blank notebook or journal. The advantage of this approach is that you can customize your journal to better reflect your lifestyle. You can also incorporate other types of writing or planning into your journal.

What to Include in Your Gratitude Journal

While gratitude journaling may seem intuitive, if you are new to the practice of being grateful, you may encounter some writer’s block as you try to identify things to be grateful for and how you feel about them. Gratitude journal prompts can be found online and in some pre-printed gratitude journals. You might also want to work with a clergyperson, spiritual director, life coach, or mental health professional to develop questions you can ask yourself while journaling.

When Is the Best Time for Gratitude Journaling?

The best time of the day for gratitude journaling can be different for everyone, particularly if you have a job, children, or are a caregiver. Here are the advantages of different approaches:

Journaling in the Morning

If you can make it work, journaling in the morning has some real advantages. If you are up before the rest of your household, morning journaling gives you time to reflect without interruptions. Also, morning gratitude journaling allows you to reflect on the previous day and remind yourself of all your blessings as you begin the new day.

Journaling Midday

Another option is to journal in the middle of the day, perhaps before or after lunch or during a coffee break. Midday journaling gives you the advantage of perspective. You can think about all that has happened that morning and reflect on how your gratitude will impact the rest of your day.

Journaling in the Evening

Another option is to journal in the middle of the day, perhaps before or after lunch or during a coffee break. Midday journaling gives you the advantage of perspective. You can think about all that has happened that morning and reflect on how your gratitude will impact the rest of your day.

Does gratitude journaling appeal to you? Erin Condren has lots of options, including notebooks and journals of every size, plus accessories and writing tools that you can use to make your journal truly your own. Begin your gratitude practice today.