Gratitude Journal Prompts

Gratitude is all about allowing ourselves to focus on the good in our lives. The parts that don’t suck even in the midst of a bad day/week/year. It also reminds us to appreciate what we have in our lives currently instead of always looking to the past or the future. Sometimes gratitude journals can get repetitive. Because of that, I like focusing on specific categories on specific days so that we remember there is always something we can be grateful for, even on the worst days. Here are some ideas for categories:

a.     Family

b.     Work

c.      Your physical body/health

d.     Friendships/relationships

e.     Nature

f.      Money

g.     Your community (school, neighborhood, city, state, etc.)

h.     The weather

Important note: This is not about “good vibes only.” Practicing gratitude does not mean that you are happy all the time or do not notice the things that are hard. It just means that we are choosing to balance out the hard things with the elements of life that we are still grateful for, even in the midst of a tough day/week/year.

This is my challenge to you. Set aside some time every day for a week focusing on each of these topics (or whatever topic you choose.) Notice the difference it can make in your perspective.