One thing that I have learned from being a college student is that there are many unpredictable ups and downs. Some weeks things can feel like they are perfect, just for the next week to feel the opposite. During the difficult weeks, it can be hard to find the motivation to get out of bed and go to classes, while also managing all your other responsibilities. Last semester, I started to feel like I was not taking time to appreciate anything in my life and was losing a sense of myself. A good friend of mine suggested that I buy a gratitude journal, so I did, and I’ve been using it ever since.
Using a gratitude journal forces me to wake up each morning. I write down three things I am grateful for, set my intentions for the day, and think about what I could do to make today a good day. By starting with this each day, it made me start my mornings off on a positive note and with good intentions. It also made me think about what I wanted to accomplish that day in a more optimistic light. For the end of the day, the journal also gives you a space for reflection by asking what three good things happened that day and something that I learned. This helps me to reflect positively on my day before falling asleep, while also recognizing a lesson that I may have learned whether good or bad.
I almost immediately found this type of journaling so beneficial because even on the hardest days, it forces me to also recognize the good things, no matter how small. Sometimes I find it hard to even think of just one thing that I feel grateful for in a moment, but the small task of writing down something simple, such as “my morning coffee” or “my dog”, forces me to remember that even in a bad week, there are small aspects of each day for which I can be grateful.
Practicing gratitude on days when it feels like there is no reason to be grateful can sometimes be a challenge. But over time, I found it getting easier. There was a certain time last semester, where I could not even begin to think about what I could be grateful for because it just felt like everything was going wrong, to the point where it was almost comedic. However, I still forced myself to write down three things no matter how small they seemed. This helped change my mindset going into each day.
I also love being able to look back at past days and find the patterns of what made each day good and what I have learned. Having this ability to reflect helps me learn more about myself each day and learn what I can do to get through the harder days. When I feel like my life is not going good enough to feel grateful, I find myself looking back through my journal to remember my favorite parts of each day. I then can say to myself, “What are some of the things that made other days good that I could do right now?” Having the ability to reflect on my past entries has been a game changer.
Gratitude journaling also holds me accountable on the days when I do not do anything good for my overall health and wellbeing. It made me aware that I could add some things into my routine that could make me feel more satisfied with life, while still taking the time to appreciate the current things in my life. For example, I started to realize that on the days I had completed a workout, I would always write it down under something that went well that day. It made me realize that I should try to add workouts into my routine more frequently because it was something I often reflected positively on.
Whether journaling is something you have already tried or not, I would encourage you to give gratitude journaling a chance. Even if you occasionally feel there is not much you are grateful for, getting into the habit of forcing yourself to feel gratitude each day can change the way you think and feel in a positive way.