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When it comes to journaling, many people suggest gratitude journaling. But is it the way to go for you? If you are determined to do it, what is the right way? How will gratitude journaling change your life? And to what capacity can it affect you in different ways?

These are some common questions that arise when you think about gratitude journaling. All of these questions are answered below.

Also read: These things are stopping you from journaling regularly.

Don’t start it just yet.

Most people think about gratitude journaling and start doing it. They hear people talk about how it changed their lives. Sometimes, their therapists recommended them. They ask them to write three things that they are grateful for every day.

However, if you don’t like starting it, just don’t do it. Don’t just start gratitude journaling because someone else recommended it. There are multiple advantages to it. You feel more fulfilled.

Your life feels full of moments where you made a difference. You are regularly reminded of everything that your life has been made of. And your heart is full while you read and write those things regularly.

But if you have different objectives from the beginning, don’t start gratitude journaling just yet.

Also read: How to do gratitude journaling the right way?

It is not for everyone.

Continuing from the previous point, gratitude journaling is not for everyone. It might have made a great difference in someone else’s life. But it might not be able to do the same magic with you.

It can only do wonders for you if you need it. If you are looking to build emotional resilience. If you get depressed easily and soon you can’t find anything worth hoping for. If you are a pessimistic person and this attitude has been weighing you down.

Gratitude journaling can help you find the light you are looking for. It can help you develop a positive outlook to see life through a better lens. It will give you the emotional strength to go through the toughest phases of life.

Also read: This one journaling exercise can give you closure.

It can be more than three things.

Therapists or anyone who recommends gratitude journaling asks people to write at least three things, they are grateful for each day. And I am here to tell you, there are days when you can’t think of a single thing. It is those days when you had such gloomy experiences, that you are feeling low.

Therefore, thinking of a few things you are grateful for feels like another task. But you don’t have to do it every day. You don’t have to write in your gratitude journal every day. You only have to write on the days when you are filled with positivity. You have a full heart and your eyes are gleaming with happiness.

You are overwhelmed with happiness. So, you need to record this moment. There is no better place than your gratitude journal to record a moment of your life that you are more than grateful to have lived. All you need to do is give personal meaning to those things that you write.

It is exclusively for you and by you.

The attitude matters.

When a therapist recommends doing gratitude journaling, it is to develop an attitude of gratitude. When your thoughts are so clouded by all the negativity in your life and you can’t see a single ray of sunshine in your life. Gratitude journaling comes to the rescue.

While developing a habit of noting down things you are grateful for, you will start seeing those moments that slip by unnoticed. You will realize the things you have when you seem to have nothing. And it will introduce a change in your attitude.

This will gradually make you more emotionally resilient. Next time, if a dark cloud appears in your life. You won’t be depressed or be dismayed easily. You will have a list of things that were good and an attitude that will help you see light in the darkest of spaces.

Start from the complaints vs grateful list.

Most people are lost when it comes to gratitude journaling. Listing three things feels lame. And soon after, they fall out of the habit. Because they cannot see any significant change in their perspective or personalities.

However, this trick will not only help you let out your emotions in a healthy way. But it will also help you change your perspective gradually. All you need to do is divide the paper into two parts. Write complaints on the left side and Grateful on the right side.

Now list all the complaints you have at the moment. Do not hesitate and speak your heart. Do not be scared if the list goes long. Stop writing only when you feel you wrote everything. Now, write everything that you feel you are truly grateful for.

Initially, your complaint list may be longer than your grateful list. But you need to do that every day. Soon, your grateful list will have more things than your complaint list. And you will see a change in your attitude as well.

Look back when you feel low.

Gratitude journaling is not all about listing things you are grateful for. It is also about looking back and seeing how things changed over the years. You will not be grateful for the same things over a decade. Times change, and so do your attitude and things you may feel grateful for.

You can always see how things change in your gratitude journal. You also need not to do it over 10 years. But try it for a year and you will notice change by consistently doing it.

You can always look back through your journal when you feel low. You will know the tough times, you have conquered and therefore made you more resilient. You will feel more fulfilled by looking at those moments. You will be glad about the purposeful life you have lived.

Mark your favorites.

Can you think of the days when you felt the happiest? Maybe one or two. In the magical world of Harry Potter, you can only make a powerful Patronus charm by remembering the happiest memory.

By gratitude journaling, you can make a bouquet of the happiest memories you have lived. And after a while, you can mark your favorites among those. You will be building a spectrum of happiness. From the days when your happiness was mild to the moments, you laughed the hardest.

After a while, you can choose the best ones to create your own Patronus Charm for when you need that strength. You will have it when times turn dark. And you need hope.

How does your gratitude change over time?

Over time, not only do the things you are grateful for change but your perception to look at those things also changes. You will see a change in your attitude and your outlook towards life.

Most importantly, you will develop an abundant mindset. This will help you grow in life. You will appreciate life more. And the feelings of competition will slowly decrease.

With gratitude journaling, you should feel a release of serotonin. The activity will become addictive for you. You would count the moments as you live through them to note down in your journal.

Conclusion.

People always get frustrated about gratitude journaling. They say what they should feel grateful about. They have air to breathe, clothes to wear, and a house to live in. But being grateful for those is not enough for those people. They need something much deeper and meaningful.

If you are among those people, you too can find solace through gratitude journaling. All you need to do is to do it the right way.

Also read: 10 types of journaling you can do this year.