The Benefits of Journaling and Gratitude Practice for Mental Health

Life can get busy… real busy. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in our autopilot/day-to-day life and forget to check in and ask, “how am I really doing?” It’s important to stay on track toward our goals and check in with our mental health, and journaling is a powerful practice that has been linked to improved mental health, physical well-being, and even career success. Similarly, gratitude practices such as noting what you are thankful for can help cultivate feelings of positivity and joy.

Here are some of the key benefits of journaling and gratitude practice: 

• Reflect on your emotions – Keeping a journal enables you to process your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Writing about difficult emotions can help us look at them in new ways, encouraging a deeper understanding of ourselves. 

• Make better decisions – Writing our thoughts down can enable us to access more clarity when making decisions by allowing us to explore our options more thoroughly. 

• Develop lasting habits – By setting goals for yourself during journaling sessions, it can be easier to track progress towards those goals over time. Also, writing out affirmations or positive reminders can help build self-awareness and create lasting healthy habits. 

• Enhance relationships - Gratitude practices allow us to acknowledge the good in life instead of zeroing in on the negative aspects. This will help strengthen existing relationships as well as improve how we communicate with others around us.

Here are some prompts to help you get started with your journaling practice:

• What sparked joy for me today? 

• What is one positive thing I can do for someone today? 

• What were the highlights of my day? 

• What are three things I am grateful for today? 

• How did I show kindness to myself today? 

• What would I tell my younger self if I could travel back in time? 

• Who made me smile or laugh today, and why? 

• What is one thing I want to focus on improving tomorrow?

• What was a challenge I faced today and how did I overcome it?

Journaling and practicing gratitude is not only beneficial for our mental wellness but also in how we view the world around us and interact with those in it too! So give it a shot today!

Here’s to making each day matter!

-Truvy