Gratitude is obviously a desirable trait to have. Some of us show it naturally, and some of us…not so much. By showing gratitude in daily life, we not only show others that we appreciate them and their efforts but we can also increase our own sense of wellbeing. I know that for my own mental health, and the anxiety that used to cripple me, gratitude has been huge. It’s one of the powerful healthy mental habits that I preach about here on projectenergise.com. It’s part of a larger collection of thinking points that I harness in my day to day life. To live a life with a balanced mind, showing appreciation and gratitude is vital, in my personal opinion. And so whilst gratitude might seem like an obvious way to act, some of us need to be reminded to practise it, myself included.

The simplest way to do this is to start writing in a gratitude journal. Because it’s easy to get stuck when we try to think what to write about, Im laying out some extensive gratitude journal ideas in this post for you, incase you need a little bit of guidance. I’ll also show you my easy printable gratitude planner.

No matter what hardships you’re going through in life, being able to consciously practise ‘grateful thinking‘ can enhance your mood and improve your outlook on life. I say this from a personal experience with anxiety and depression. A large chunk of my life was spent on autopilot. I had no idea how to control my emotions and feelings. During my deepest experience with anxiety and depression, I never stopped to actually think about what I was thankful for in life.

Maybe because everything just seemed dark and gloomy. Nothing seemed to be moving in the direction I wanted, and I felt as if nothing was going right for me. My perspective was channelled through a negative filter, and what I should of been grateful for amongst the darkness never even crossed my mind. In a face paced world, we often don’t stop enough and give thought to what we’re grateful for, and I’ll be the first to admit to that.

Read On Below For My 50 Gratitude Journal Ideas To Get You Started

So whether you’re suffering with anxiety, depression, or anything else that’s clouding your mind from ‘the good‘ that is in you life, here’s some more benefits to practicing with a gratitude journal;

The Benefits Of A Gratitude Journal

Gratitude Makes Us Happier.

By showing daily, or bi-weekly gratitude in a gratitude journal, we bring mindful awareness to what is good in our lives, and what is going well. Some of us are primed for negativity, and as I mentioned above, I never really wanted to allow myself to show gratitude because I felt so low. I couldn’t see the benefits until I actually tried to be mindful of what was still good in my life. The simple thought about how grateful we are fo our loved ones can being instant happiness and perspective.

Gratitude Develops Our Minds

The simple act of writing down what we’re grateful for in a gratitude journal develops our minds more towards positive and rational thinking, fostering a healthy, balanced, and well-rounded perspective. As we consciously practice gratitude, we begin to appreciate ‘the small things’ more deeply, a trait that resonates with many of the most common enneagram types, who often find personal growth through self-awareness and reflection.

Gratitude Reduces Pointless Envy

If you can shift your pointless envy of what others have, and start to appreciate what YOU have, you’ll live a fuller, happier life. Sure, we all know people who seem like ‘they have it all’, but really, what’s most important for each individual is to see with both eyes what they have themselves. Often times, we have something that the person who seems ‘like they have it all’ doesn’t. It’s all about perspective. Envy is something that can bog you down for long periods of time. It also stops you from seeing what you actually have yourself.

Gratitude Improves Relationships With Others

A person who shows gratitude is infectious. A person who shows gratitude for the ‘small things’ is even more infectious. Noone likes to be around negative folk. When you beem gratitude, you also beem out confidence, positivity and contentment. Everyone is chasing something, or wishing that they have something someone else has. If you can show that you’re content and appreciative with what you already have in your life, others naturally follow you.

How To Keep A Gratitude Journal 

So how do you go about keeping a gratitude journal? The answer to this is wide open. That’s because no two people are the same. You might find it useful to write down what you’re grateful for daily, like in my gratitude journal printable. However, some others might find it more beneficial to write out what they’re grateful for every other, or every few days.

Studies illustrated here suggest that writing in your gratitude journal at least 3 times a week can have vast improvements on your mood. If you find yourself burning out by writing your gratitude notes down every single day, don’t worry about scaling back and writing for one or two days a week. The whole point of the gratitude journal idea is to bring at least some mindful awareness to the good in your life right now.

There is no ‘wrong way’ to keep a gratitude journal. You may find it useful to write in your journal in the mornings, or in the evenings, after you reflect on the days happenings. Finding your own rhythm, and one that works for you is key.

So let’s get down to business. Here are 50 gratitude journal ideas for you to use in your gratitude journal right now.

50 Gratitude Journal Ideas And Prompts

1. Your parents
2. Your future
3. Your pets
4. Yesterdays successes
5. Friends
6. Your health
7. A holiday you’re looking forward to
8. Your children
9. Clean air
10. The ability to walk
11. Being able to see the world
12. Having control over your own mind
13. New days
14. Summer days
15. The seasons as a whole
16. Your house
17. Your clothes
18. Your car
19. You partner
20. Your relationships
21. Your bed
22. Your job
23. Your favourite foods
24. Nature
25. The ability to watch your favourite shows
26. Your education
27. The ability to use the internet to learn anything
28. Your religeon
29. The ability to paint or draw
30. Seeing your children smile
31. The ability to use each day as a fresh start
32. Putting your body into clean, warm water
33. Free speech
34. Your weekends
35. Hearing the birds sing
36. Watching the sun set
37. Opportunities to grow
38. laughing and joyness
39. The smell of coffee or tea
40. Love itself
41. Quietness
42. Having electricity
43. Cozey socks
44. Refreshing rain
45. Warm summers
46. Beautiful music
47. Breathing
48. Flowers
49. Your beating heart
50. Relaxing

Use These Gratitude Ideas For Your Own Inspiration

So feel free to use these gratitude journal ideas for your own use, modify them, tweak them, and make them your own. You might find it hard to move your gratitude towards certain things on this list, but that’s the beauty of it. Everyone’s different, and what you might not feel grateful for, someone else will. If you allow yourself the perspective, you can find appreciation in all the small things in your life, like cozy socks or the smell of coffee.

The truth is some are more fortunate than others. Even when things seem impossibly tough, some people are always worse off than you. I like to remind myself that some of the folks in third world countries that have absolutely nothing. Not because I feel better than them, but because it makes me realise how lucky I am to have what I have. My life is not perfect, neither is yours, or the richest people you can think of. Issues will always arise, and that’s when it’s important to show gratitude for what you have right now.

With a little open mindedness, and a bit of willpower, we can all start to practise gratitude, once a week, twice a week, or even daily in a gratitude journal. Start yours today and let me know what effect it has on your mental wellbeing. By downloading my gratitude printable, you’ll not only be supporting me, a small blogger that works to help people with anxiety, but you’ll also get an easy printable gratitude journal that you can print over and over.

Here’s to your success,

Sean