How keeping a Gratitude Journal changed my perspective in Life

I have been an avid Journal keeper. I have kept diaries since I was 9 and they have traveled with me through each move. Over the years my diary writing and journals have taken a shape and form. I no longer sprawl lazily and without a thought. Each notebook and journal serves a purpose. I am a big proponent of Bullet Journal, as a productivity hack and a life management tool. I also keep a music journal for my ukulele practice and a notebook dedicated to my writing and another one to store my ideas.

Back in March, I also began keeping a Gratitude Journal. And it has changed my perspective on life.

What is a Gratitude Journal?

As the name suggests, you record things you are grateful for in your gratitude journal. Now research shows that people who express gratitude actively (Actively being the key word here!) are happier. So if you are looking for a reason to keep a gratitude journal, there is none better than this.

How do I use my Gratitude Journal?

I have stacked* my gratitude journal with my meditation habit.

(Habit Stacking is this great method of layering up or stacking a new habit over an older one to build new routines!)

This is what I do, after waking up at around 7:00 am and after my long drawn out morning routine and taking a shower, I sit cross-legged on my bed and meditate for 15 minutes. I focus on my breath and things I am grateful for. After 15 minutes, I open up my Gratitude Journal and begin writing the first thoughts in my head, just to clear it up and then comes the real deal.

I pen down the following:

1. 3 Things I am grateful for
2. What I look forward to in that day
3. My affirmations

I have been doing this daily for more than 3 months now and this is how I have changed.

How gratitude journal changed my outlook?

1. I have become more patient. And the evidence is the decrease in number of rows I have had with my parents, brother and my beau!
2. I have started enjoying the small moments in my life. Burying my head in my cat’s fur, relishing a bowl full of kheer, a pretty cloud I see in the sky, or even a new song I heard.
3. I have started respecting the big things. My work doesn’t stress me anymore, not because its not stressful, trust me, it is, because I focus on how thankful I am to have a job in this period.
4. I am becoming more aware of how blessed I am, how privileged- be it in terms of people in my life, what I have, the food, the shelter, the love and even an opportunity to grow.
5. I feel lighter and happier.

I want to explicitly state something. It’s not like my life no longer has those moments of frustration and stress, I still lose my shit time to time, I still get angry, I still cry for no reason and I still pick fights. I also have my moments of doubts and existential crisis!

What has changed is my ability to re-frame an issue. Being able to explicitly find things I am grateful for, takes my attention away from the issue at hand, and makes me look at the bigger picture.

I am thankful that I was able to build this practice, and I hope I continue. My proposal to you is to try it for yourself. If you need a little push, read this wonderful book, The Book of Joy,and read what Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Dalai Lama have to say about bringing joy in life.

(Spoiler Alert: Gratitude and Meditation get brownie points for inviting joy in life!)

If you do plan to start a gratitude journal, here are 3 tips:

1. Build a habit- Consistency is key.
2. Find new things to be grateful for. EVERYDAY!
3. Be kind. To yourself and others.

Gratitude is a gift to yourself that takes very little and gives a lot.