Alternatives to a Gratitiude Journal

Hello everyone!

I think all of you have heard of the idea of keeping a Gratitude Journal by now - it's as simple as writing down at least one (or three or five...) thing(s) every day that you're grateful for. Many studies have shown that this is an extremely powerful tool.

I did have a Gratitude Journal for quite some time now, but lately I noticed that it just doesn't feel good for me anymore. Having to write something down in the evening when I'm tired just feels annoying, I couldn't really stick to it, and the words "I am grateful for..." have nearly lost their meaning to me due to all the repetition, which I don't like. So I was looking for alternatives and I wanted to share some with you!

1) Gratitude first thing in the morning: The moment you wake up, when you are sure that you're awake but before your eyes are actually open, silently express gratitude for the sleep you got, for the day ahead, and for anything else you wish to be thankful for

2) Visual Gratitude Journal: Every day, try to take of photo of something you are grateful for. You can also search for beautiful pictures online. If you want to, you can create a Gratitude Album out of them.

3) Gratitude Meditation: A 5- to 10-minute meditation can focus your attention on grateful thoughts and feelings. Create your own or search for one online. If you prefer, you can also say a prayer.

4) Gratitude at Dinnertime: Every day when you sat down for having dinner, think about one thing you are grateful for before you start your meal. If you are having the meal with your family or your friends, you can ask them to do the same and share the thankfulness.

5) Showing Gratitude: Instead of just thinking about what you are grateful for, show it! Tell people that you are grateful to have them in your life and why or give them a gift. Care for and enjoy the things you are grateful for.

6) Gratitude Reminder: Carry something small with you, it may have a special meaning to you or could just be something smooth or pretty, that can remind you to think about what you are grateful for when you touch or see it.

7) Creative Gratitude: Find other ways to express your gratitude through art, whether it be song, creative writing, painting, or any other way you can think of.

8) Change up the question: Instead of saying "I am grateful/thankful for..." every day, use other phrases like...

- "I feel blessed today because..."

- "My favourite part of the day was when..."

- "Today I felt happy when..." or "Today I felt good about myself when..."

- "I appreciate..." or "I appreciate ... about myself."

- "Something that went well today was..."

- "A moment I want to remember from today was..."

- "Something I would like to continue doing/happening in the future is..."

- "My life doesn't completely suck because..." or "It would have been even worse if... and I'm glad that didn't happen." (for those days when trying to find something good about the day just feels like lying to yourself)

9) Gratitude Prompts: Just google "Gratitude Prompts" or "30 days of Gratitude Challenge" and use the prompts given for every day. You can also use the prompt "A thing that starts with the letter ... I am thankful for is..."

10) Gratitude Jar: Collect many smooth, little stones and write the things you are grateful for on those. (You can also just use pieces of paper if you want.) Then put them in the jar. See how it fills. When it's full, you can empty it and look through all the reasons again.

If you have other ideas for alternatives, please share them with us! Have a great day and stay grateful