We all live in the same world. And yet some people find joy daily and other people are overwhelmed with fear. Sometimes we are joyful and afraid at the same time.
A gratitude journal is an intentional way of seeing the world. A gratitude journal practice means focusing your attention on the positive and beautiful aspects of your experience.
While a gratitude journal practice can be as simple as listing a couple of things you are grateful each day, gratitude journal prompts can help you to think more creatively and stretch your imagination. Each of these gratitude journal prompts is meant to help you focus your attention on different areas of your life. In doing so, you may realize you have even more to be grateful for that you initially thought.
Tips for using these Gratitude Journal Prompts
To use these prompts, find some quiet space, paper, and a pen. You can go through the list in order or jump around to whatever catches your attention. Start small with one to three gratitude journal prompts at a time and work your way through them gradually. Pay attention to how you feel before and after your journaling and the impact your gratitude journal has on your life.
51 Gratitude Journal Prompts
- What has made you laugh out loud in the last week?
- What tastes like home?
- What tool or app brings significant convenience to your life?
- Write about a time someone helped you through a difficult situation
- Write about a podcast where the host feels like a friend
- What is your favorite part of your day?
- Describe a sports memory that makes you smile
- What gift have you gotten in the last year that brings joy to your life?
- What is a book you return to over and over again?
- What was the scariest challenge you’ve overcome? Write about how you overcame it.
- Describe a texture that feels extremely satisfying to you.
- What do you find most rewarding about your job?
- Describe a time that a co-worker helped you with a challenging situation
- Describe a tricky problem you unraveled
- What décor or furniture item do you love most in your home?
- What is a physical feature of yourself that you love?
- What song do you love to cry to?
- What song do you love to dance to?
- What office supply brings you joy?
- Describe a recent moment where you felt a deep connection with another person
- What season makes you feel the most alive?
- What outfit makes you feel extremely confident?
- What is capturing your imagination recently?
- What TV characters feel like best friends to you?
- Write about something you can do that impresses other people
- What is something other people do that impress you?
- What leader or public figure has positively impacted your life?
- Describe a moment of serendipity that has changed your life
- How has money helped you to achieve your goals?
- How have you helped others in your life?
- What topics are you the best at in trivia competitions?
- What makes you feel strong?
- Write about a happy surprise that you have experienced in the past week
- What do you love about your family (or chosen family)?
- When has a difficult person surprised you by helping you?
- Describe a time that you were worried about something and it ended up working out perfectly?
- What is the most extravagant purchase you’ve made that brings you happiness on a regular basis?
- What flavors spark your taste buds the most?
- What is something that you are deeply proud of?
- List five things in your life that are just okay
- What trip or vacation do you think about the most?
- What is most pleasurable about your experience right at this moment?
- What is a time that an animal brought you comfort?
- How do you love to move your body?
- Where do you feel gratitude in your body?
- Who do you think might be grateful for you?
- What belief keeps you going when you feel overwhelmed?
- What are you grateful for that hasn’t happened yet?
- What simple daily pleasure are you grateful for?
- Who is a person that has positively impacted your life more than they even know?
- What author or artist inspires you?
What are the benefits of a gratitude journal?
Gratitude journals and prompts help you to feel happier by focusing your attention on the positive aspects of your life. Every day, we take in so much information and stimulation, we are only able to focus on a small percentage of it. Because our brains are wired to pay attention to danger, we tend to focus mostly on the negative aspects of our life. Gratitude Journals give us space to intentionally bring forward positive aspects each day.
In addition to making you feel happier, a gratitude practice can have a positive impact on your physical and psychological health.
Using gratitude journal prompts can also be used as part of your manifestation journal process. By focusing your attention on the positive that is currently in your life, you bring more of it into your future.
What to do if you have resistance around your gratitude practice
Do you like the idea of using gratitude journal prompts but struggle to actually get started or maintain a practice of using them?
The good news is that nothing has gone wrong here. This is a perfectly normal and reasonable response. While gratitude can make us healthier and feel better, it might not feel natural or fun when you are first getting started. It can be a little bit like eating your vegetables – you know you should do it but you can’t seem to get around to it.
If you are feeling that resistance, the first step is to drop any thoughts of “should” around it. Yes, there are many benefits around practicing gratitude – but when you guilt or force yourself into it, you will continue to feel resistance. I recommend loosening this up – how can you be more playful in your gratitude practice?
What silly gratitude journal prompts can you ask yourself? If journaling in a written notebook trips you up, try another method. Have a friend ask you these prompts and let them be a spark for conversation. Read the prompts out loud and record yourself answering them. Listen back to your responses any time you feel down. Play around with this and enjoy the exploration.
And there you have it. Let me know what gratitude journal prompts spark the greatest feelings of gratitude for you. Are there any other prompts missing that you think should be added to the list?
To learn more, check out this video:
Xo
Louisa
Hi Louisa, I enjoyed reading your article. You showed me different ways to be grateful for. I use a 5-minute journal to record my gratitude for the past three years. And found it challenging at times. But mostly I am grateful for small things, be able to walk outside, to have a healthy body, evening to myself, sings like that. Your questions provoke dipper thinking. I love it.
Hi Irina! Wow, three years of gratitude journaling- that is impressive. And yes- the small things are really what matters sometimes, aren’t they? So glad this provoked some thinking, and thanks for stopping by. xo Louisa
These are some very creative ways of feeling grateful. Most gave me pause to consider and to think differently about things in my life and myself. For instance #44 How do you love to move your body? Thanks for sharing.
Yes- that is awesome. Thinking differently about life and yourself is so powerful, isn’t it?