I’ve thought about having a gratitude page in my journal for a long time, but never committed to it. After reading a few books on cognitive methods to help with depression and supported by my therapist, I decided to take the plunge and create a spread. I’ve kept it very simple and simply write one line a day and not even every day. When the page fills up, I start another.
You can see below that there are lots of different ways to lay a gratitude spread out. You could even write a few words with a doodle of some kind, like I have done on my spreads for things I like about myself and what I want for myself. Another option is simply including a box in your weekly or monthly spread that has a little room to write something each day. I prefer to have an undated page so I don’t place pressure on myself when I don’t enter something one day and then feel like I’ve got to make it up later so I don’t have an empty space. An undated page means that I just enter something I’m grateful for, when I’m ready to.
On the right is a completed page. There is nothing wrong with writing the same thing on multiple days. I often feel grateful for my natural environment, as it brings me so much peace and joy, so it’s a common theme to find on my pages. After only one spread, I was already feeling much more positive about the world and it was starting to become very obvious to me what an amazing life I had, full of friends and fun and beauty. It really does work.
I think it’s a shame when someone dismisses this method, especially if they haven’t tried it for themselves. Even if you’re sceptical it’s worth giving it a try, because practicing gratitude has been proven to provide many benefits including: flooding your brain with feel-good chemicals, lessening the symptoms of anxiety and depression, increasing social connection, increasing empathy and compassion, improving your physical health through strengthening the immune system and lowering blood pressure, increasing resilience, better moods, better sleep, better cognitive function, and satisfaction with your life.
How could you not give it a try?
