It’s simple. You use your journal to regularly record and reflect on things you’re grateful for. The idea is that after regular journaling, your brain will rewire and begin focusing on life’s positives and build up resilience to negatives. What you include in your gratitude journal is entirely up to you. You could be grateful that your local shop had your favourite snack in stock, or that you got a promotion at work. Keeping track of all the good things, no matter how difficult life may be, will make you feel better.

As we mentioned earlier, regularly practicing gratitude may increase overall feelings of happiness and make it easier to cope with any negatives that pop up. Regular journaling can reduce stress levels, and help you feel calmer at night. Who doesn’t want a better night's sleep? 

Writing everything down that you're grateful for will make you realise what truly matters the most to you. It’ll help you include more of this positivity and understand what you should cut out of your life. 

You might experience an initial happy “boost” when you first start your gratitude journal. This happens often when starting new habits. The trick is carrying this happy boost forward, and maintaining the habit of journaling.

The first thing you need to do to start your gratitude journal is get the right products. You will, of course, be needing a journal. Keep it simple with a lined journal like the Leuchtturm Medium Ruled Notebook, or leave room for creativity with a bullet journal such as the Leuchtturm Official Bullet Journal. 

You’ll also be needing some fun pens. Why not make your entries colourful with the Staedtler TriPlus Fineliners? Making your journal look colourful and interesting will motivate you to write in it, and regular journaling is key to feeling the benefits! The STABILO BOSS Pastel Highlighters are perfect for highlighting your favourite journal entries. You want your best memories to stand out! They are also great to help decorate your journal if you want to.  

Getting into the habit of journaling is going to be the hardest part. Try and make it a daily gratitude journal. Making it a daily ritual, alongside your evening cup of tea perhaps, will make it easier to maintain the habit. Writing in your journal should be something you look forward to. If you’re viewing it as more of a chore, try changing up your journaling style. You can find our post on bullet journals and different styles here.

Being intentional and putting effort into your gratitude journal is important. Once it becomes an automatic pilot task, it’ll lose its effectiveness. To keep your journal content fresh and interesting, it’s worth looking at gratitude journal prompts. You don’t want to open your journal and stare at a blank page, unsure of what to write. That’s a sure fire way to give up on your journal. Luckily for you, we have some great gratitude journal prompts to get you started:

- How is the weather affecting your mood today?

- Has anything been going particularly well at work lately? Write about it.

- Did anything make you smile or laugh today? What was it?

- Who, or what, are you happy to have let go of in your life?

- Name three things that make you happy.

- What meals do you enjoy making and eating at the moment?

- List five things you love about your home.

- Write down one good thing that happened today.

Gratitude journals are a brilliant way to develop a more positive outlook. If you want to add even more positivity into your life, take a look at our affirmations quiz! You can even add your affirmation to your brand new journal. If you need a helping hand getting started, check out our IGTV with Penny Belle where she showcases her tips and tricks to get started with journaling.