Every year I look forward to purchasing a new journal. I try to find something cute, pretty, and colorful that will make me happy, fun, and excited to open. Having a routine for logging what you are thankful for can sound meaningless. But from my teaching as a health coach and doing it, I found that the researchers were right.
You may think that starting and making regular entries in a gratitude journal just piles on the pressure when you have many other things to do daily. But it is like any new habit. Once you get used to making entries, it will become easier as time goes by.
First, you need to know the benefits to inspire you to start a gratitude journal. Whenever taking on any new thing in your already busy life, you need to know that it will benefit you in the long run. So, this article will explain the most important benefits of having such a journal.
Why Start and Maintain a Gratitude Journal
Once you have read and understood these benefits, it will motivate you to start your own journal and persist with it. You will need to push yourself daily to make those essential journal entries. After a while, writing in your journal will become a habit you enjoy. So here are the significant benefits keeping a journal like this:
01. It Will Help You Be More Positive
There’s something compelling about writing things down. Nobody fully understands this. But it seems that you are making more of a commitment when you put pen to paper. Also, you are training your brain to find more things to be grateful for.
After a while of writing down the things you are thankful for in your life and why, it will provide you with a much more positive outlook on life. It will help us overcome our natural negative bias, an instinctive tendency to dwell on negative things.
If you focus on the good things about your life, you are not experiencing negative thoughts, which have the opposite effect. The fact that you are writing down what you appreciate cement how you feel about your life. Positivity will bring you the things you want in your life, while negativity will take them away.
02. You Will Sleep Better
Gratitude is associated with better quality of life. You should make entries in your gratitude journal morning and night. When you come to the evening before you sleep, you can reflect on the day’s events and find several things to be grateful for.
You will feel more relaxed by identifying and expressing your gratitude for these things and then writing this all down in your journal. And you’ll fall asleep a lot faster after a while of doing this. A good night’s sleep is essential as it provides many physical and mental health benefits.
03. Boosts Your Self-Esteem
People with low self-esteem tend to focus on the negative, which can lead to a shallow opinion of themselves. Expressing your gratitude for the people and things in your life will have the opposite effect. In fact, you will feel really good about yourself.
Being able to stop comparing yourself to others is another benefit of being grateful. We tend to drive down our self-esteem if we think other people are better than us. At least on the outside. Writing down what you are grateful for will also reduce any feelings of jealousy or resentment that you may have.
04. Reduces Stress and Improves Your Health
Having a gratitude journal will help you to avoid stress. While you cannot avoid stress altogether, your gratitude attitude will help you deal with it more effectively. There are also physical, psychological, emotional, and mental health benefits from leading a gratitude-based life. Your journal will support this.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Marcey,
XOXO
DISCLAIMER: The content in this blog is for informational purposes only. And not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition or replace your healthcare professional’s advice and guidance. If you suspect a medical condition, please seek medical attention immediately.
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