5 Benefits of Keeping a Gratitude Journal
Starting and maintaining a gratitude journal can be challenging because it is just something else you have to remember to do every day. However, after a while, the effort you put into showing your gratitude every day will be well worth it in the long run. Continue to push yourself to do it every night until it becomes a habit. The best time to start a gratitude journal is now. Here are three incredible benefits that you can gain when you begin to keep a gratitude journal. It Increases Positivity When you write things down that you are grateful for in your life, you will naturally become more optimistic and confident. Focusing on the good in your life provides less power to the negative emotions and greater strength for the positive ones. Although you may have positive thoughts come to mind throughout the day, taking the time to write them down makes them more concrete. It Improves Sleep Spending just a few minutes right before you go to bed to write down the things you are grateful for will help quiet your mind and ease any anxieties that you might have about the day. A calm and grateful mind will allow you to fall asleep quicker. Gratitude has been shown to induce the relaxation response and to be a potent sleep aid. Improves Self-Esteem When you focus on the negative things in your life, it can become straightforward to feel down. We tend to be more demanding of ourselves than others, but keeping a gratitude journal can help you stay focused on your achievements. Showing gratitude can help reduce the natural tendencies we have to compare ourselves to those around us, which can be detrimental to our self-esteem. When you show gratitude for what you have, you will harbor less resentment and jealousy toward others and have a more incredible feeling of self-worth. Reduces Stress Researchers have found that it will naturally counteract stress when you focus on feelings of satisfaction and contentment. While you will still have to deal with challenges in your life, having an attitude of gratitude will help you better deal with those challenges. Better Health Grateful people tend to live healthier lives and live longer than their ungrateful counterparts. Grateful people usually have the motivation to take better care of themselves. Grateful people experience fewer aches and pains and are more inclined to eat healthily and exercise. These are only a few of the many benefits of keeping a gratitude journal. If you aren’t already keeping one, starting today will help you live a happier and healthier life. I have created a free printable it has a daily gratitude entry area, doodle, daily affirmations, and how could I have made today a better section. There are two entities on each page. Download it today. [download_after_email id=”874″] Preview: Manifest in the Midwest
