Gratitude Journal with a Twist

Writing is a powerful tool to help us better inhabit our mindfulness practices—especially when it comes to gratitude. Picking up a book or using a journaling app, however, often doesn’t really resonate with a lot of us. It feels like a good idea, and we may even go out and buy a beautiful little book of blank pages to write in. But, when it comes to the actual execution, many of us tend to fall short. This gratitude journaling exercise, however, is a much easier lift—and it's just as, if not more, effective than keeping a traditional journal.

There is, however, a bit of preparation work to tackle (don’t worry, it’s not a heavy lift). You’re going to start by taking some paper and cutting it up into smaller pieces—maybe 1” by 3” (the exact size doesn’t really matter as long as its small but large enough to write on). You will also need a jar, box, or other container to keep your pieces of paper in once you’ve finished writing on them. Set the papers and container in a helpful place—maybe you put them somewhere special to celebrate your practice. Or perhaps you put things somewhere really practical to help you remember to engage in your practice each day. Wherever you put your papers and container, just make sure it is purposeful and helpful to you.

Once you’ve got everything ready to go, take a slip of paper and write something you’re grateful for—just a word or phrase, nothing detailed or elaborate. What you are grateful for (for this practice) should be something immediate. In other words, write down something that is your immediate life and reach. What is in your present life or space that you are grateful for. It’s wonderful to have gratitude for things long past, or even just the week gone by. But this practice is most powerful when we root our gratitude in our present lives.

Once you’ve jotted down one or two things that you’re grateful for, fold your paper in half and toss it in your container, just like you would if you were going to ‘draw names from a hat.’ And do this once a day—maybe at the end of your day, or the beginning, or any other time. What works best for you is best for you.

The great thing about this practice is threefold. One, it helps us grow in our gratitude. Two, it helps us become more mindful in our present lives. And three, it offers us a little perspective when we are down. If you find that you are struggling through your day or week, take a moment to go back to your container. Take out a few pieces of paper and read them. Remind yourself of the things that you are grateful and let those things nourish you and help you realign with what is most important. Gratitude is a beautiful thing, and practices like this help us to both harness and grow that beauty to make our lives better.