A gratitude journal is a document on your electronic device like a pc, laptop, etc. or notepad where you write daily the things that you are grateful for. You should keep your journal nearby to write whatever comes to mind and also to refer to it to remind yourself why you should be grateful. Journalist is flexible, and you should do it at the time most convenient for you, but you must try and write at least one thing you are grateful for every day.

Life will have both negative and positive occurrences, and the negative ones tend to bog you down. How do you then get over these negative experiences and soldier on with your life? Many people will tell you to think positively, but that’s easier said than done.

A gratitude journal comes in by making it easier to remember the positive things that happened and overshadow and eventually get rid of the negative ones. Below you are going to learn the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal.

1. It will make you happier

When you write down the things that you are grateful for, you actually become more thankful as you keep looking at them. This will make your brain keep thinking only about the things you are thankful or thus making you happier.

2. Reduce stress

Yes, this is not just a gimmick to get you writing what you are grateful for but gratitude actually reduces stress because it stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system. This is as a result of writing and pondering positive things and avoiding thinking about the negative.

3. It will make you positive

When you actively write on your gratitude journal, you will actually start looking forward to positive things to write. Your mind will, in turn, pick out the positive thoughts and not pay much attention to the negative. Similarly, when you think about positive things in your journal, you will have a positive attitude.

4. It will impact on your productivity/success

When you are stressed, your concentration and productivity go down. When you are happier as a result of keeping a gratitude journal, it will impact on your productivity and success. This is because you will be more motivated to act on your goals until you reach them. It’s also advantageous because the more you achieve the more you have to write in your journal and vice versa.

5. Make you more confident

Gratitude and confidence are interrelated, and the more you feel grateful, the more your confidence soars. By focusing on the positive, you feel that things are working in your life and you become more confident in front of people and also when you tackle your goals.

6. It is a fun activity

Writing on your journal is a fun and creative activity. This means as you write stuff on your journal, you are also enjoying the exercise and working out your mind. You are, therefore, killing two birds using one stone by having fun and improving your well being.

7. It eliminates jealousy

When you are grateful for everything you have, whether big or small, you stop noticing what other people have and even when you do, you don’t pay much attention to it because your mind diverts you to what you also have.

8. You become more likable and deepens your relationships

We have seen that writing on your journal makes you much happier and confident, which in turn makes you more likable. You should divert the energy you use daily to write Good Morning Messages for Friends and write things you are grateful for. This will make you more attractive to your friends and earn you others.

9. You sleep better
If the last thing on your mind is the things you are grateful for you will be able to relax and have a good sleep. This, in contrast to if you have negative thoughts running through your mind as you lie down to sleep.

10. It will give you a comeback
A gratitude journal will provide you with a much-needed boost in your life from the moment you start it. When you start writing in your journal, you will feel more motivated to work on your life objectives.

11. You become more observant
Keeping a gratitude journal makes you more aware of what is happening around you. This is because you pay more attention to everything around you because you want to have something good to write in your journal.

12. You stop being obsessed with things

When you are not grateful for anything in your life, you become obsessed with acquiring more stuff to become happier with your life. On the other hand, when you keep a gratitude journal, you become thankful for even the small things happening in your life. This will open your eyes to see that lie is not made better by accumulating material things but by little everyday things.

The bottom line

So do not let life put you in a negativity loop. Get on top of it by writing a gratitude journal. It’s an easy and fun activity that takes at most 15 minutes of your day. This activity will leave you feeling happier, more positive, confident, and increase your productivity, among other things.

So go on and start journaling without complicating it. Just buy a notebook and pen and start writing today. You can even make your first entry as the fact that you began to the journal and voila! You are on your way to happiness.