Meaningful Gratitude Journal Prompts | bullet journal
Start being more thankful and realising the aspects of your life that are positve with our meaningful gratitude journal prompts.
What is gratitude?
Gratitude is being thankful for the things that we have.
Often in life – especially when it is not going well – we focus on the negative aspects of our life. Now, at times of hardship or heartache, the negative may outweigh the positive, BUT, it is always important to look for the positive aspects in our life.
We may think that we have no positives or nothing to be thankful for, but there are always positives – you just have to look for them, and want to look for them.
What is a Gratitude Journal Prompt?
A gratitude journal prompt is a reminder or a cue for you to think about aspects of your life, that are positive. They allow you to explore the things that you are thankful for and take you away from the negative thoughts or parts of what is going on at any current time.
Sometimes it is difficult to see the good things that surround us until we really sit down and inspect them.
The idea of this list of gratitude journal prompts is to help you with this. It is a list to evoke gratitude and thankfulness and help you remain positive and realise how much good there is around you.
Some further reasons for keeping a gratitude journal are;
- Increase positivity
- Increase self-esteem
- Reduce stress
- Help induce a better night’s sleep
- Help you live in the present
We often tend to focus on the past or worry about the future. Things we have done in the past or regrets can weigh on our minds and we can get so caught up in this, that we don’t appreciate what is happening now. Similarly, we worry about the future – things that haven’t even happened yet – and again, don’t acknowledge or cherish what is happening right now.
We can learn from past mistakes and certainly enjoy memories from the past and we can look forward to our futures and plan our futures, but it is important to realise what we have now, what we are doing now and what we should’ve grateful for now.
Jotting down some grateful thoughts, especially at night, can give a sense of well-being and happiness, and help promote a good night’s sleep. If we get into the habit of doing this each evening, then we are leaving the negative thoughts – that might keep us awake – behind.
Thinking of the positives – however small – are a great way of realising what we do have rather than what we don’t have. I do not like the term ‘think positive’. If we are having a hard time, or are going through a genuinely tough time, then thinking positive is very hard to do. However, thinking of the positives is a much easier and better way to increase happiness. It simply means that if each day we can think of 1 or 2 good things that have happened to us, then we can slowly begin to feel better and move forward.
How to keep a Gratitude Journal
A gratitude journal can be a stand-alone book, or – as we like to – be a section in our bullet journals. This just means that everything is in one place, and if you carry your bullet journal with you, when you are feeling low, or you just need a thankful reminder, you can refer to it, whenever you need to.
Dedicate some pages, or a section of your journal, to gratitude and make some notes, based on the list of prompts here, each day or evening.
Alternatively, print out our cue cards or pages of prompts, for a quick easy way to be thankful and grateful.
We also offer a range of beautiful prints for all areas of your house. Check them out here.
Daily gratitude prompts
These are some quick journal prompts, that are ideal to look at daily. They will ensure that you keep gratitude and thankfulness at the forefront of your mind, and remind you that you do have things in your life to be grateful for.
1. Think about one thing you accomplished today.
This could be something really small or minor, such as making dinner for your family or walking your dog. Or something bigger, like finishing an essay, or visiting an elderly neighbour who lives alone. It doesn’t matter what it is, it is still an achievement.
2. Think about something you are looking forward to tomorrow.
Again this could be something simple, like having your first cup of coffee in the morning, or something such s meeting a friend for lunch.
3. Look outside. What is something you are grateful for?
This could be the blue sky, the sun, a beautiful tree, plant, or flower. There is lots to be grateful for in nature!
4. What made you smile today?
Did your child say something funny, or did you watch something funny on television? Did you see something amusing as you went about your day? Or something funny on social media?
5. Are you happy with the way your day turned out? Could you change or do something different tomorrow?
Think about your day. We are trying to think about the positive aspects of our day, the whole day is not going to be pleasing. In this case, what changes could you make to make it better tomorrow?
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more gratitude journal prompts
These prompts can be used at any time. Try practicing gratitude daily, or at least weekly. Take 1 or 2 of these prompts at a time, and jot down your thoughts about them in your journal.
If you do practice this on a regular basis, you will begin to see that you have much to be grateful for in your life. Or if you feel that you lacking in gratitude, this list gives you some things to work on to improve your positivity, self-esteem, and self-worth.
- Name one thing in your job or career that you are grateful for.
2. Think about a time that someone helped you.
3. Think about a time that you went out of your way to help someone.
4. What is something that you are looking forward to.
5. Write about a happy memory.
6. Write about a friend or family member that you are grateful for.
7. Write a few things about a person you admire.
8. Write about a struggle or issue that you overcame.
9. Name 3 things that make you smile?
10. Think about a good deed you can do for a friend or neighbour.
11. Write about a really bad day you have had. How are you better off now?
12. Can you think of someone who is less fortunate than you? Can you help them?
13. What things around your home make life easier for you?
14. What is your favourite item of clothing and why?
15. Describe your favourite moment of each day.
16. What was one of the best experiences in your life. Write about it.
17. Write 5 things that you like about yourself, both personality and physical characteristics.
18. Look at a photo on your phone and describe why you like it.
19. Write about someone who helped make you the person you are today.
20. Write about the best book you ever read or film you ever saw. Why did you love it so much?
21. Think about something or someone that you take for granted.
22. Find a gratitude quote that you like or resonates with you. Why do you like it?
23. What gift have you received that you loved? Why did you love it?
24. Name or find a song that brings you joy. Why does it make you happy?
25. What is your favourite place in the whole world? Describe why you love it so much.
26. What was the most challenging part of your day today? How did you get through it?
27. List 3 qualities or strengths that you have that others may not have.
28. When was the last time you laughed until you cried? What was it that started the laughter?
29. What cheers you up when you are feeling down?
30. What are basic needs that you have, that are being met; a roof over your head, food, warmth, clothing, etc…?
Gratitude Journal Printable Prompts
We have created a PDF printable of our gratitude journal prompts so you can have an easy reference to keep in your journal.
Either choose A4, which is ideal to pin to your notice board, or choose A5 to fit into your journal.
We also have some ‘post-it’ style prompts, that you can cut out and keep in your journal.
This A5 version is ideal to slip into your smaller journal. It prints on an A4 sheet, so simply cut down the middle for your A5 gratitude journal prompts!
These are ‘post-it’ style gratitude prompts. Once printed, cut them out and clip them into your journal, or keep them handy – by your bedside is ideal. Randomly pick one each day to keep focused and continue with your gratitude.
