Have you been wanting to start a gratitude journal, but don’t know where to start? You don’t have to wait for a new month or a new week. You can start today! Check out this list of daily gratitude journal prompts to help you get started!
We’ve got a free printable to help you too!
GRATITUDE JOURNAL PROMPTS
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I’ve seen a lot of talk about gratitude and journaling amongst my friends these days. I’m a firm believer in gratitude and how it can change our lives. Taking a step out of our busy lives to acknowledge the good in our lives can really make things look better.
There are so many benefits to keeping a daily gratitude journal and I often include space for a gratitude log in my monthly bullet journal set up. It definitely takes effort to develop the habit of finding things to be thankful for. It’s kind of sad, but it’s true. We’re so busy these days and it’s so easy to focus on what’s not going so great.
So, what’s the big deal with keeping a gratitude journal and committing time to write in it each day?
Benefits of Practicing Gratitude
I can give you a long list of statistics and studies on the effects of gratitude journaling. But, I want to share the personal benefits I have experienced too.
According to this article by Happier Human, keeping a gratitude journal for an extended period of time can help you become happier, increase social capital, improve your physical health, boost your career, and strengthen your emotions.
Being less vague and general, practicing gratitude can improve sleep, help strengthen your marriage, improve decision making, and create deeper relationships.
On a personal level, here are are the benefits I have experienced.
- More Patience. While it’s not something I like to admit to, I have always had a bit of a short temper and have been easily irritated. As a mom, neither of those traits are desirable. Since keeping a daily gratitude journal, I have noticed a big difference. I talk more calmly and explain situations rather than jumping to conclusions. And I try to empathize with my children and understand their perspective before allowing my emotions to take over.
- Less Envious. For as long as I can remember, I have been trying to “keep up with the Jones'”. New clothes, nicer cars, sparkly jewelry, aka a flashy life. And no matter how much stuff I had, I was never satisfied. There was always more to want. Practicing gratitude helped me realize there will always be stuff and things to want. But, now I can really see how much I have and be happy with those things and my current situation.
- Healthier Eating Habits. Gratitude has put me in a mindset to be grateful for my body and health. It’s easier now to see all my body is capable of and then it comes naturally to want to fuel my body with whole foods and ingredients.
- Happier Marriage. My husband and I have been together for almost twelve years. And at times, the passion and the desire has declined. Gratitude has been an insight into how fortunate we are to have one another. It’s a reminder to make the most of every moment with my husband and appreciate all he does for our family.
The list could go on and on. I’m not saying that all of these have a direct connection to gratitude journaling. But, they all stem from a changed mindset, which I credit to gratitude. By focusing on all that I have, it’s makes it easier on the challenging days.
How to Start a Gratitude Journal
To start your first gratitude journal, all you need is a notebook and a pen. Or, if you are using a bullet journal, choose a couple of pages to dedicate to gratitude logging each month. Most months I include a gratitude log page or a space in my spread for gratitude.
GRATITUDE JOURNALING SUPPLIES
Leuchtturm1917 makes beautiful lined journals with page numbers, an elastic closure, an interior pocket, and ultra-light gray lines that won’t distract you while writing.
If you want something that already includes a basic gratitude template, check out the Good Days Start with Gratitude: A 52-Week Guide to Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude: Gratitude Journal.
And why not get your kids in on daily gratitude practice too? This 3-Minute Gratitude Journal for Kids is amazing for elementary-age children. It daily logs with a place to write what they are grateful for, who brought them joy, how they are feeling, and a section to write or draw the best part of their day.
I highly recommend getting a good pen that you love and can write smoothly with. A pen can make or break your relationship with writing.
While I typically use fine line pens in my bullet journal, my favorite pens for writing in a journal are the Inkjoy Gel Pens. The ink is smooth and the pen fits nicely in hand. They come in a large variety of colors and the ink dries much quicker than similar gel pens. It has a 0.7mm tip which is nice for creating smooth, legible writing.
Once you have your notebook and pen, it’s as simple as writing down the date and then writing down what you are thankful for that day. You could do this in short sentences or in paragraph/diary form. Do what comes naturally to you but make a commitment to sit down a few minutes each day and do it!
30-Day Gratitude Journal Prompt List
Coming up with things to write about might seem challenging. The first things I always think of include family, friends, health, and prosperity. Once I get past those, it can be challenging.
This is where gratitude prompts come in handy! You can use the following positive journal prompts to help get the ideas rolling. You can also download the gratitude journal prompts printable and gratitude journal pdf to give you a jumpstart! CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE LIST!
- A person who inspires you
- Something you ate
- A smell that brings you joy
- Something in nature
- A luxury you have that others around the world might not
- Something good about your job/career
- Something you made
- Your favorite trait about yourself
- Spending time doing something you love
- A personal accomplishment
- Something about where you live
- Your means of transportation
- A skill you possess that you are proud of
- Something that made you smile today
- Something that made this week a little better than last week
- A song or podcast that makes you feel happy
- The weather
- A lesson you learned
- A memory that makes you laugh
- Something warm and cozy
- A place in your home that makes you feel relaxed
- Your favorite childhood memory
- A physical ability you have that you have taken for granted
- A show/movie that makes you smile
- Pets (future or past) that have left a lasting impression
- A piece of clothing that made you feel comfortable
- An emotion you felt today
- A quote that inspires or motivates you
- Modern technology that makes your life easier
- Something someone else did for you
- Something that made you laugh today
Also, check out this post with 101 Ideas to Be Happier Right Now. There’s a lot of ideas for gratitude on that list as well.
GRATITUDE JOURNAL PDF PRINTABLE
Our free gratitude journal printable has space for 31 days of gratitude so it works well for every month of the year. It’s designed for A5 size notebooks. It has gray trim lines to show you where to cut.
All you have to do is download the printable and print it on a regular sheet of letter-sized paper. Then trim it down to size!
If you’re going to be pasting this paper over another page in your journal, I suggest using Tombow Mono Adhesive. It won’t make your paper bumpy and you won’t have any tape showing on the sides. It’s easy to apply and keeps your page securely in place!
You can also use washi tape (which is actually what I often do to add a pop of color)
Daily Gratitude Journal
We also have a second Gratitude Log printable that you can download by joining our VIP section of the site. You can use the Daily Gratitude Log printable to add pages to your bullet journal or to create a homemade gratitude journal. Thie daily gratitude printable digs even deeper each day by giving you three spaces to fill out.
It’s completely free and you’ll have access to more free printables! Click here to join the VIP library!
The printable daily gratitude page comes in both US Letter and A5 size. When you receive this file, you will get a ZIP file with both sizes.
To unzip a file on Mac, simply double click the file. In Windows, right-click the zip file and then click ‘Extract All’.
From here, open the PDF in Adobe Reader (completely free here) and print. The A5 version comes with a faint gray cut line so you can easily cut it out and put it in your bullet journal.
Then you can customize it to make it your own! Click here to join the VIP library to get your bonus gratitude printable!
