I’ve written before about why you should start a gratitude journal. It’s going to be beneficial no matter how you do it, but here are some extra ways to increase the value you get from the practice.
1. Journal 1-2 times a week
If you write in a gratitude journal too frequently, then it will become routine. If you don’t do it often enough, then it won’t have any effect. 1-2 times each week is the golden range. Start today.
2. Don’t rush it
If you rush through the exercise, then you might as well not do it. Choose a time of day where you don’t have something urgent to do right after. I like to do it either right before or right after I practice meditation. Take your time being grateful, and enjoy the good feelings that come along with it.
3. Write the entire sentence
When you are writing something down, don’t just write “X”. Instead write “I’m grateful for X” or “I’m thankful for X”.
4. Approach it with “beginner’s mind”
Beginner’s mind is a concept in Buddhism which means always approaching an activity like it’s your first time doing it. So when you sit down to write, don’t look at your last entry. Don’t feel like you need to write the same things every time (although you can if you want to). Make the gratitude journal spontaneous and consider what you are grateful for right at that moment.
5. Speak out loud
Say what you’re grateful for out loud as it comes to your mind. Say it again as you write it down. Repeat it as many times as you want. It’s more effective that way, and it makes you feel good.
6. Consider both sides of the coin
Rather than writing “I’m grateful for my successes”, I often write “I’m grateful for my successes, and for my failures”. Life is duality, and you should recognize both the light side and the “dark”. When you come from a place of gratitude you will find that things you otherwise perceive as negative are actually things to be thankful for. Be grateful for the entirety of the experience, not just what you judge as “good”, and you will be better for it.
Have any thoughts on gratitude? Started your journal yet? Share your experience in the comments section below.