For almost ten years I’ve been making notes in a gratitude journal. Obviously, I’ve not written in this particular one every day. In fact, some pages may have only three or four entries over the double spread and span nearly a year’s time. At other times page after page are filled with nearly consecutive days of entries.
Gratitude journaling – writing down a few things you’re thankful for that day – has a profound effect on your overall happiness. It has been proven in multiple studies that gratitude journaling will make you happier six months from now than you are today.
I was leafing through this book tonight and I find names that continually pop up in my gratitude journal – Greg and Trish are ever present. I also find references to people no longer with us – Mama, Matthew, Pat, and my brother Jim. The names of others important in my life at one time or another are sprinkled on the pages. Places I visited are there, and references to simple bits of life, and continual gratitude for health.
More than my regular journals, these little snippets in the gratitude journal transport me back to a particular place and time. Maybe it’s because of the emotion associated with the writing.
I urge you to give it a try. It takes just a few moments of the day and can have a profound effect on how you feel. I started being more diligent about it a few months ago and my mood has definitely improved. Try it yourself.
(My apologies for blurring the writing, but I don’t share the content of my handwritten journals.).
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