You should keep a gratitude journal.
“Why?” You might ask us. Kalmers, do you want to be a happier person? One of the best ways to improve your happiness, according to scientific research, is by being grateful. But my life is hard, what is there to be grateful about? No matter what your current situation is in life, you can always choose to be grateful. In fact, there are a lot of things you should be grateful for. However, with gratitude, just like a lot of other good traits, we have to practice it.
But what is a gratitude journal? To put it simply, a gratitude journal is a diary where you regularly write down things that you are grateful for. You can do this with a paper book and a pen or go digital with KALM App. By doing this, you get to practice the discipline of gratefulness.
So, how exactly can we do this? Let’s find out!
Make Time
As we try to start, we may find ourselves stuck before doing anything. What should I write? When is the perfect time to write? We will always have other things to do and may not always feel particularly inspired to write.
Kalmers, gratitude should be felt from the heart, and it is best felt when we ponder on it alone and away from distractions. Depending on our daily schedule, maybe the best option is to only write in the morning or at night before bed. However, no matter which time we eventually pick, the best time to start is now.
Don’t worry, Kalmers! KALM’s gratitude journal is designed to have concise, pre-set questions. So, as long as you have 5 minutes to spare, you’re good to go.
Set the Mood
The perfect setting gives us a chance to clear our mind and think more clearly of our emotions. We can achieve this is by using music, candles, or even preparing for a bath. Simply going to the café can give us the perfect ambiance, too!
Nothing is too Small
When we ask ourselves, “What am I thankful for?” we don’t have to limit ourselves to the big things. Little things matter, too. Some of you might have taken them for granted so far. Is it someone, something, or simply the way we feel right now? These are some things we can be grateful for: that especially helpful co-worker, that yummy cookie, or even the amazing fact that you have access to the Internet! There are actually plenty of things we can write about! Whether or not they are trivial, deep, specific, or general things. They all deserve some space on our journal! Each little thing we are thankful for can help us gain clarity on how blessed we actually are.
Make it a Habit
For some people, daily repetition is the only way to reinforce a habit. On the contrary, others may find daily record keeping to be so overwhelming that their goal is soon given up on altogether.
That’s me! What can I do about it then?
Relax, Kalmers… keep in mind that gratitude journal doesn’t work by aimlessly writing daily, but by being accustomed to expressing gratitude itself. Therefore, rather than ambitiously writing daily, we should go with a pace we’re comfortable with.
All that aside, we can turn gratitude-journaling into a habit by writing it the same time each day. This can be done by setting an alarm for every time we write. Through the KALM app, we can be reminded to write daily by automated push notifications. This way we can build it into a habit without making it another thing we have to remember to do.
Shake Things Up!
With journaling, the bad news is that it’s easy for us to feel tied to a routine. The good news is we can always use our creativity to shake things up! There are many ways to do this. If you are an artistic person, you can also draw instead of writing on your gratitude journal. Collaging pictures can work, too.
To make it even more exciting, you can actually try to tell someone what we are thankful for about them in person instead of just writing it down in our journal! You can also leave a little note if you are too nervous. Just write down in what way you are grateful about them. Get an extra dose of happiness from knowing you have made someone’s day better.
Let’s Reap Happiness Through Gratitude Journal!
Every time we use our gratitude journal we may only get a little bit of happiness from our gratitude. But remember what it says: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. So the more grateful we are, the more our happiness will increase as well. That is why Kalmers, let us start using a gratitude journal and plant those seeds of gratitude so that we can reap great happiness!
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.”
– Denis Waitley
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