Gratitude Journaling
As part of a mindfulness practice, gratitude journaling can help reconnect with positive experiences and emotions.
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Robert Emmons, a leading scholar on gratitude, describes gratitude as affirming goodness in others and the world around us and helps us figure out where goodness came from so that we can humbly appreciate it.
Research has shown that gratitude practices enhance a positive life outlook and decrease negative emotions. It can also support physical health, (improved sleep quality, stronger immune system, lower blood pressure), psychological health (more alertness, positivity, and energy), and social functioning (feeling more forgiving and outgoing, and less isolated).
It may be easy in this moment to stop and think about a few things you're grateful for in your life. But it's the sustained, intentional act of gratitude journaling that this research has shown most impacts health.
Establishing a gratitude journaling practice
Set the scene: Find a 15-minute window a few times a week. Doing this around the same time may help build this as a habit. Establish a calm, comfortable space where you can think clearly. Consider what sort of medium feels best to use to journal—whether that's a note in your phone, a Google Doc, or a physical notebook. Make your surroundings a place you look forward to coming back to.
Freeform or using prompts: Think of a few things—perhaps a person, a space, event, or feeling—from recent life that evoke gratitude. Or consider using a prompt along the lines of:
Someone who has had a positive impact in your life
A challenge you've overcome and what you learned
Express appreciation for your surroundings—in nature or the space you're in
Three good things that went well in your day and why
Get specific: Clarity and depth will help with fostering gratitude over a longer, more generalized list. Ask: who are specific people, or their specific actions, and what positive feelings did it evoke that lend to the gratitude you're feeling?
Additional Resources
Greater Good in Action's guide to gratitude journaling has more tips, prompts, and evidence-based research into the benefits of this and other meditative practices.
Sources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8867461/
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/pdfs/GratitudePDFs/6Emmons-BlessingsBurdens.pdf
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good
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