Why gratitude is an important part of your daily journal

We all know that gratitude makes you feel good – but there’s more to it than that.

Sure, practising gratitude has been found to increase the frequency and intensity of positive emotions.

But it’s also been shown to improve health, assists us in managing adversity, and helps build stronger relationships.

Basically, it’s about stopping, identifying, and reflecting on the good things in our lives (Harvard Health Publishing, 2021) – making it absolutely clear that we’re doing good, that our lives are, in fact, pretty good, and that no matter what, there’s some positivity somewhere in our lives that can continue to sustain us.

This is why we include the Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness (GEM) process (van Cuylenbyrg, 2019) in your Story of My Life Journal.

Making the most of Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness

Research has shown that the mood you start your day in has a huge affect on your overall motivation and productivity (Rothbard & Wilks, 2012). And it makes sense, doesn’t it?

You’re starting the day in a positive mindset; starting it in a way that’s geared towards positivity.

How you choose to practice gratitude can look different to each individual, but your Story of My Life Journal takes the approach of a morning and evening check-in.

So, listing one thing you’re grateful for in the morning helps to start the day on a good note.

By starting on a positive, it helps you sustain that feeling throughout the day, anchoring the rest of the day to this optimism.

It’s like mental armour, there to help absorb the hits and the punches that you roll with during your day-to-day routine.

Then, listing three things in the evening that you’re grateful for helps you to reflect on the day and frame it in a positive way.

You bookend your day with good thoughts, things that you’re grateful for, and in doing this we’re recognising the people, actions, and things that help to make your life better.

You prove to yourself that during your day, no matter what happened in it, there was still some good to be found.

It’s an acknowledgement of the good in our lives.

And, in acknowledging the good things we already hold, or that we’ve achieved or experienced, we’re able to recognise that even in some small part, the source of those things lies inside us.

You’re doing good, kid

So, that’s why your Story of My Life Journal includes gratitude as part of your daily journaling routine.

In fact, journaling aside, it’s why practising gratitude is important in the first place.

As well as thanking the people, the things, the experiences that have helped move your life forward, it’s a way to demonstrate to yourself that you’re kicking goals, that you’re doing good, that you’re worthy of positive thoughts and experiences.

It helps you feel in control.

And that’s a powerful motivator, one that can help keep you going when times get tough.