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We all know how important it is to be grateful for what we have.
But if you opt for keeping a gratitude journal, sometimes it can feel hard to be inspired or to even know what to write. (Why does writing always feel so hard anyways?)
This goes doubly so when life gets tough, and it’s hard to see any silver lining at all.
Well, that’s where my favorite hack of gratitude journal prompts comes in!
Gratitude journaling prompts are a great way to shift your focus from the negative to the positive and inspire yourself to find things to be thankful for, even on the tough days.
Keep reading the blog post below to discover these 57 thought-provoking gratitude journal prompts for yourself that you can whip out the next time you feel stuck.
What Are Gratitude Journal Prompts?
Gratitude journal prompts are simply topic ideas or questions to help guide your daily gratitude practice.
A gratitude journal is a personal record of things, people, and experiences for which you are grateful. It’s a place to reflect on the positive aspects of your life and express thanks for them.
Gratitude journaling can be done in any format that works for you, but most people find it helpful to use prompts to get started.
Prompts can be as simple as “listing three things you are grateful for each day”. Or they can be more specific questions designed to help you reflect on different aspects of your life and inspire ideas you might have otherwise missed.
However you choose to approach it, gratitude journaling can help you slow down and appreciate the good in your life.
In a world that often feels full of negativity, taking time to focus on gratitude can be a deeply calming and grounding experience.
Why should you use gratitude Journal prompts?
Gratitude journaling is one of the best ways to focus on the positive things in your life, no matter how challenging things might be feeling at the moment.
And unlike a traditional diary or journal, which can often feel like a chore, journal prompts make it easy to get started and keep the gratitude flowing.
Each day, simply choose one of the prompts listed in this post and spend a few moments writing about what you’re grateful for.
The more specific you can be, the better. For example, instead of just writing, “I’m grateful for my family,” you might write, “Today, I’m grateful for my mom’s homemade apple pie.”
Over time, you’ll start to notice patterns in your gratitude, which can be both enlightening and eye-opening.
Not to mention that it feels pretty good to reflect on the good stuff going on in your life instead of drowning in what feels like a never-ending cycle of negative news reports.
Also, let’s not forget that gratitude journaling has been shown to have a plethora of benefits, such as helping you sleep better, improving your mental and physical health, making you more resilient in the face of stress, and even broadening your mind and increasing your creativity.
So if you’re looking for a simple, low-cost way to add more positivity into your life, give these gratitude journal prompts a try. You might just find that it’s one of the best decisions you ever make.
3 Ways To Use Gratitude Journal Prompts
Here are three ways you can use gratitude journal prompts to stay inspired and beat writer’s block:
1. Use gratitude journal prompts as a daily gratitude practice.
One way to use gratitude journal prompts is to pick one prompt each day and use it as the basis for your gratitude journal entry.
For example, you could choose the gratitude journal prompt “What are three things you’re grateful for from today?”
And then, take some time to reflect on and write down three things that happened during your day that made you feel thankful.
Not only will this gratitude practice help you to focus on the positive, but it will also give you a chance to look back on your day and reflect on all the good moments, no matter how small.
2. Use gratitude journal prompts as a gratitude brainstorming tool.
Another way to use gratitude journal prompts is to use them as a way to brainstorm things you’re grateful for.
This can be especially helpful on days when you’re feeling low and struggling to find anything to be thankful for.
Simply choose a gratitude journal prompt and then spend some time brainstorming all the things that come to mind in relation to that prompt. For example, if you choose the gratitude journal prompt “What are three things you’re grateful for in your life?”,
You could brainstorm things like your family, your health, your home, your job, etc.
Not only will this exercise help you to focus on the positive, but it will also help to increase your overall gratitude level. As well as a list of things you can expand upon in later journaling sessions.
3. Use gratitude journal prompts to reflect on your progress.
Finally, you can also use gratitude journal prompts to reflect on your progress and see how far you’ve come.
This is especially helpful if you’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for a while and are starting to feel like you’re running out of things to be grateful for.
Simply choose a gratitude journal prompt and then take some time to reflect on how far you’ve come in relation to that prompt. For example, if you choose the gratitude journal prompt “What are three things you’re grateful for from this year?”
You could reflect on all the progress you’ve made and all the accomplishments you’ve achieved over the course of the year. Hopefully, this will give you lots of inspiration and plenty of previous journal entries to pull from.
This gratitude exercise will not only help you to focus on the positive, but it will also help to give you a sense of perspective and gratitude for how far you’ve come.
A list of 57 gratitude journal prompts to get you started
Now that you know why gratitude journal prompts are useful and some ideas for using them. Let’s look at some gratitude journal prompts to get you started writing in your gratitude journal today!
(These prompts can even be an awesome addition to a positivity journal if you’ve ever considered starting one!):
- What are some things you love about your family and friends?
- What are three things you’re grateful for about your soul?
- How can you be thankful for your health?
- Name three things that make you feel calm and at peace. What about these things do you feel are important, and how can you use them more often?
- What are three things about yourself you’re grateful for?
- Think about all the technology you use daily. What are 3 things you couldn’t live without and why?
- Who is one person that has been instrumental in your life? What about them do you appreciate? In what ways have they influenced your life?
- When you think of moments in the past you are grateful for, what comes to mind?
- What about your home are you the most grateful for?
- What do you really appreciate about your life? Is there anything you appreciate more than others?
- Who has been instrumental in your personal growth? In what ways are you grateful for their guidance?
- What bad habits do you feel you have? In what ways can you improve on them that are small and simple?
- What about your career or job are you grateful for?
- What are three things you’re grateful for about your relationship with your parents?
- How can gratitude make a difference in the world?
- How does it make you feel when someone expresses gratitude to you?
- What are some things you are grateful for now that you once took for granted?
- What are three things you’re proud of, no matter how small?
- Who or what is always guaranteed to brighten your day?
- Which teachers are you grateful for?
- Make a list of 20 ways you are fortunate.
- What are some things people have given to you that you’re grateful for that weren’t a specific gift for something like a birthday?
- When you feel unmotivated, what things can you do to boost your mood?
- What is something difficult that taught you valuable life lessons?
- What public services are you grateful for and why?
- Describe the most recent time that someone helped you, no matter how small it seems. What did they do, and how did it help you?
- How has gratitude changed the way you interact with others?
- What are three small things that made your day better today?
- What textures make you feel good?
- What are some of the defining moments of your life?
- What are your favorite things about plants, flowers, or vegetables? How do they enrich your life?
- Write about a goal you’ve been trying to achieve but haven’t succeeded yet. Write about your progress, no matter how small, and consider how you can be kind to yourself about it.
- Name a piece of art, illustration, or design you enjoy. What do you appreciate about it? What thoughts and feelings does it make you feel?
- Write about something you saw recently that warmed your heart.
- What are three things you love about yourself?
- Write three things you’re grateful for that happened within the last 24 – 48 hours. Describe them in detail and how they made you feel.
- What do you love about your culture?
- What are some of your favorite traditions? These could be family traditions, religious or cultural traditions.
- What about your upbringing are you grateful for? Why is this, and how do you feel they influence you today?
- Write a list of things you could do to help someone when they are ill.
- Who is someone that you owe gratitude to but have not yet expressed it? Why is this, and what would you like to say or do for them if given a chance?
- What are three things you’re grateful for that make your relationship with your partner unique?
- What things can you do in the present moment to show gratitude?
- Write three things you appreciate about your sense of taste.
- Name something that makes you afraid or anxious. Describe a recent situation that involved it. In what ways do other people or things help you deal with it?
- Write down a challenge or difficult task you’ve completed. What have you learned from the experience? Is there anything that you appreciate about it?
- When you look in the mirror, what do you see that makes you feel beautiful?
- What is your favorite season and why?
- Name three events in your life that are key to who you are today. How is your life better for these experiences, and what would be missing or changed if you did not have them?
- Name something that makes you feel like you’ve grown as a person.
- What can you do physically that you are glad about (walk, dance, swim, sing, etc.)?
- What are three things in the universe you’re grateful for?
- What benefits have you seen in your life since starting to practice gratitude?
- What do you love about your country?
- Write about your favorite hobby. What makes it your favorite? How does it make you feel? What benefits does it have?
- Who or what in your life are you grateful you let go of?
- What are five things about yourself that you are grateful for? These can be skills, personality traits, physical traits, habits, or anything else you can think of.
Gratitude Journal Prompts Are A Powerful Tool For Reflection
By using gratitude journal prompts to inspire your writing, you can get the most out of your gratitude journal practice.
Taking a few minutes each day to write down what you’re grateful for, you may find that your outlook on life changes for the better.
Prompts help you focus on specific things for which you are grateful. And they can also be a source of inspiration for your writing to help you identify things you’d normally miss otherwise.
I hope these prompts will help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude and enjoy all the benefits that come with it.
But remember, these gratitude journal prompts are just a starting point – feel free to come up with your own gratitude journal ideas as well! Or, if you’d like even more ideas, be sure to check out these other gratitude-related resources.
What are some things that always make you feel gratitude? What are some of your favorite gratitude prompts? Let us know in the comments below!
