Just imagine how you would feel when you start your day in an energized, positive mood - ready to face every challenge you come across. Isn't it better than replaying the problems of your life repeatedly and pulling the blanket over your head to doze off once again? You can take control of your mind and put the focus on something better in your everyday life.

Appreciate your life more with every passing day, and you will end up finding yourself to be happier than ever. At this moment, it may sound weird to you, but stop rolling your eyes and believe me this concept is not at all crazy. Today, we will discuss maintaining a gratitude journal and how it can create a positive impact on your life.

Benefits of a journal based on science

Michael McCullough and Robert Emmons, eminent gratitude researchers, had stated multiple benefits of maintaining a gratitude journal:

• Better sleep
• Enhanced personal joy
• Develop a better connection with others
• Frequent exercising
• Recovering from physical pain

Gratitude journaling aids in counterbalancing the negativity bias on our subconscious level.

For instance, when someone compliments our new haircut or apparel, we do not remember it unless the moment in question. However, if someone criticizes our personality or style; we are likely going to remember it forever.

Focusing on problems and criticizing comes easily. Focusing on the better aspects of life and appreciation takes a lot of effort for most of us. When we maintain a gratitude journal, it leads to the practice, which allows us to appreciate and enjoy the best moments we get every day.

Translating thoughts into language has multiple advantages over repeatedly thinking the thoughts. It makes us more aware and deepens the emotional impact

How can you maintain a gratitude journal?

People have great intentions when willing to start with a gratitude journal, but unfortunately, they fail to make it up in the right way.

Most of the time, we get to hear people feel gratitude for getting the opportunity to enjoy the nice weather, finding a suitable partner for purchase in their new iPhone.
What should you write in a gratitude journal?

It is easy to think about plenty of things in your daily life to write about when starting with gratitude journaling. There are endless random thoughts about feeling grateful in your everyday life. However, despite having your best intentions to jot down soul fulfilling sentences, you will inevitably face “gratitude blocks”.

Yeah, you have a few choices in hand - there you can go for the general gratitude writing or take a moment to feel for things that you actually feel grateful for from deep within. The third option is about following authors who are known for providing impeccable guidelines for writing gratitude journals.

Categorize thinking

You can categorize when it comes to thinking about the reasons for feeling grateful.
Instead of just thinking each day randomly, you can choose a topic every day for feeling grateful.

1. An opportunity that you have come across today
2. Relationships - how to have been benefited from your past relationship
3. Something great you have witnessed yesterday or happened to you
4. Something simple, like enjoying the pleasant weather or the opportunity to complete your higher education etc.

Instead of randomly trying to color all the gratitude crayons you have in your mind box, focus on a few and fill the connection before scribbling them in your diary.

Why should you write a gratitude journal?

When you start each day with gratitude, you get a chance to hit those good feelings at the first instant in the morning. When you are fresh and active, you have the precious opportunity to set the tone right for the entire day. Similarly, when you end your day with the feeling of gratitude for whatever good opportunities you come across throughout the day, you can get a peaceful sleep at night and wake up fresh again the next day.

Gratitude journaling has a realm of positive and instant benefits. Believe it; once you make the effort of starting with one such journal, you can see the magical changes in your life within a month.