Gratitude can be such an important tool when we face times of adversity; the ability to shift our perspective to the positive can make a world of difference. Psychologists say that practicing gratitude can actually make you a happier person in general; being able to grasp contentment no matter our circumstances can change our lives for the better.
Knowing that gratitude can improve our life, though, doesn’t always mean it’s easy for us to take steps towards incorporating it into our normal routines. It can be easy to read about practicing gratitude, and even understand why it’s important, but some of us might need more guidance to actually connect with that practice.
Especially when things are difficult, as they are for so many of us right now, it can be hard to truly cultivate the sentiment of gratefulness without worry, distraction or resentment. Sometimes it can feel like connecting to gratitude is too much to ask of ourselves. It can be easy to get frustrated, give up, or not see the point in digging deeper. If you’ve tried building gratitude before but lost motivation, or just don’t know where to begin, these simple journal prompts might be exactly what you need to get started or find your way back to gratitude. You can go through as many as you like, pick one at random, or just soak them in as inspiration for some prompts of your own. Journalling is always a deeply personal practice; the only thing that matters is doing what feels right to you.
Go somewhere quiet, take a deep breath, and trust yourself. You might be surprised by what your inner spirit has to say today.
1. Which relationship are you thankful for today?
2. What’s your favorite memory from the past year? Why are you holding it so close today?
3. What’s one thing you’re excited about today?
4. What’s one hard thing you went through that taught you something important?
5. What’s one object that you treasure, and why? What’s the story behind it?
6. What’s one way your life is better this year than it was last year?
7. What’s the last purchase you made just for you? What did you love about it?
8. What would your best friend in the world say they appreciate about you?
9. Go on a walk and try to make note of as many beautiful things you see/hear/smell as you can.
I hope these questions can help to create the space we need to explore our own relationships with gratitude, and expand our awareness of the gifts we have already. Hopefully as we attempt to focus on all that we have, our worlds can start to feel a bit bigger and our futures a bit brighter.
