Give Thanks with a Guided Gratitude Journal

If you’re feeling stressed from your day-to-day life, and you find yourself unable to focus on the good things around you, a daily practice of thankfulness can make you feel more grounded. If you’re not sure where to start, a guided gratitude journal can help put you in touch with each minute as it comes. Plus, it can help you look back at the past to remember treasured memories, time spent with friends, and all the beautiful moments in life to be thankful for. 

Follow these simple steps to give thanks with a guided gratitude journal, and reap all the benefits it has to offer. A guided gratitude journal teaches you to…

1. Live in the moment

If you’ve ever gotten to Friday and not remembered what you did for a whole week, you’re on autopilot. Instead of making the most of your life, you’re just getting through each day. To live in the moment, your guided gratitude journal can help you implement practices to be more mindful. Research shows that giving thanks for positive aspects of your life can improve mental health, lower inflammation, and help you get a better night’s sleep.

Get started by spending a few minutes a day in your daily gratitude journal. Pick a specific time, morning or evening, and write down your mood, how you’re feeling, and what you want to prioritize for the current day (or the following day). Setting intentions will help you follow through with your goals and remember what’s important to you.

2. Remember all your celebrations

Time flies by, and you want to cherish every big celebration. Spend time at the end of the week writing the details of any party, family get-together, or celebration that you enjoyed. If you need more space in your guided gratitude journal for details, add some of your favorite filler paper. You can even use tabs to mark the edges of these pages with the event, so you can go back and look at it easily.

3. Find more satisfaction in the small things 

In the beginning, don’t overcomplicate your daily gratitude journal. The wins can be as small or as big as you’d like. If you made it to the grocery store, or even took a shower when it was on your to-do list, write it down. 

Take your guided gratitude journal with you when you go places. If someone gives you an unexpected compliment, or lets you over in traffic, add that to your journal. You’ll be surprised how many small things can bring joy to your day that we would quickly forget without tracking in a gratitude journal.

4. Center your life on thankfulness with guided exercises

Once you’ve started your guided gratitude journal, you may want to sit for longer periods to reflect on the good that’s been happening in your life. Guided exercises in a journal can help you stay in the moment for as long as you need. This is helpful for people who want to get started with longer periods of processing, but don’t know where to begin. 

5. Remember what made your year great

At the end of every year, it’s good to reflect on what happened. But if you haven’t written it down, there’s no way that you’ll remember every high point. That’s what makes a guided gratitude journal so helpful. You can check back at the end of every week, month, and year to remember all of the gifts that life has given you. You’ll love seeing which goals you accomplished, and which will give you the courage to set bigger ones in the future.

At Happy Planner, we’re all about helping you become the best you. Check out our guided gratitude journals, and give us a shout out on Instagram @the_happy_planner with all the progress you’ve made. We’re rooting for you!