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Developing more gratitude in our life is often hard to do. If you are looking for ways to practice more positive thinking and gratitude, consider using journal prompts as a way to shift your focus and perspective.
Why Gratitude is Hard to Practice
Does it seem like your mind notices problems and negative parts of life much more easily than the positive? There is good reason for this! As a part of our survival instincts, there are neurological hard wired parts of our mind that stays on alert for any possible "threat" to our survival and safety. While this is certainly important, if we don't invest deliberate effort into balancing this tendency, we can end up feeling nervous, anxious, on edge, or just habitually filtering out the positive (i.e. non-threatening) parts of life.
If human beings only noticed the beautiful rainbows, sunshine, and positive things in life, we would have died out long ago. It is vital to recognize this so that you don't feel like there is something "wrong" with your mind because it notices negative things in life so easily. That just means it is doing exactly what it was designed to do - keep you alive and aware of all potential threats and dangers.
However, it doesn't do much for our quality of life.
In addition to the baseline human tendency to be on the lookout for danger, we live in a world that is often dominated by a 24 hour news cycle reminding us of the real examples of violence, injustices, natural disasters, and corrupt abuses of power. There are constant social media alerts that add to the drama.
So learning to shift our natural focus from negative towards more positive things is a skill that can be learned. Like all skills, it becomes easier with time. Although we are all genetically preset towards the negative, we can do a lot to improve our quality of life by practicing gratitude.
Tips for Gratitude Practice
Remember that it is an intentional practice - it will take effort to shift you mind. Almost anything worth having in life will require some effort and hard work - changing your mental direction is no different.
Don't try to ignore the negatives or make discomfort disappear - the goal is not to dismiss the real pain and stress you are feeling, but to expand your awareness to include the positive things already present in your life that it is easy to overlook.
Start Small but be consistent - Start small - perhaps you spend 30 seconds a day to pause and consider what is going well in that moment. It is more beneficial to do brief but daily gratitude practices than one long session less often. But whatever you can manage right now is a great place to start.
Restart as many times as you need! - Precisely because our mind is biased towards negativity, you can predict that there will be times when no matter how successful you have been in developing more positivity and gratitude in life, that you will get off track. Just like most of us have to restart healthy diet and exercise habits (several times a year!), don't beat yourself up when you get off track.
Journal Prompts to Get You Started
You can find thousands of gratitude journal prompts online, but here are few to get you started:
- What is something you are grateful to have today, that you didn't have a year ago?
- What is something in your physical health that you are grateful for? (Even when sick or in pain, there is likely something still going well as your body works to heal and recover).
- Think about a place you have been that was inspiring and beautiful and write about how it affected you.
- Write about a favorite childhood memory.
- Who in your life are you thankful for? (family, friends, professionals).
- Take a look through a photo album or the camera roll on your phone to find a favorite person or activity you recently experienced and write about it.
- Go outside and notice something in nature that you find beautiful or inspiring.
- Think back about a struggle you had a year ago, that you have overcome or no longer have to struggle with.
- Is there an author, musician, or artist that you are grateful to for how their work has impacted you?
- What is something you are looking forward to?
- Think of something you have been given that you are grateful for?
- What is something you have been taught that has made life easier (how to change a tire, make a new recipe, etc). Be grateful for the lesson you learned and the person that taught you.
- What is something you have accomplished that you can feel proud of (including trying to practice more gratitude).
- What personality traits do you have that you are grateful for? It may be so natural to you that you overlook it. Consider what others have complimented you for - hard work, patience, diligence, easy laughter, quick to forgive, being able to speak your mind assertively, etc.
- Look around the room and find an item that you are grateful for, or that makes your life easier.
- Is there a public service or community organization that you are grateful for? Such as fire-fighters, bus drivers, utility workers, library services, etc.
- What mistake or "failure" are you grateful for because it taught you an important lesson or helped you develop more patience or perseverence?
- Describe your favorite pet , or former pet.
- List 10 hobbies that bring you joy (even if you haven't been able to make time for them recently).
- Describe a family tradition that you love.
- What do you like most about your neighborhood or town?
- What do you like most about your job?
- Think of your 5 senses and what things are your favorite sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and sensations. What soothes you? Or what energizes you?
- What is your favorite tv show or movie, and why do you like it?
- If you are single, what's the best part of being single? If you are in a relationship, what's the best part of that relationship?
- List 10 things that you likely take for granted that someone in another country wishes they had. Things like clean water, reliable utilities, safe shelter, etc.
- Think or write about a time when you were courageous.
- What is a piece of wisdom you have benefitted from, that you would like to share with others?
- Are you a morning person or a night owl? What do you like most about that time of day?
- What is your favorite season or time of year and why?
Hopefully these can give you a few ideas of how to shift your awareness towards more positive/gratitude thoughts.
If you would like help in developing or implementing any of these ideas, please reach out to me.
Contact Me
I know how stressful and demanding it can be to make changes in your life, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Some of the benefits of individual therapy include:
- Having a safe, confidential space to work through life’s struggles
- Speaking openly with a highly-trained professional
- Learning to be curious about oneself and become more mindful about your choices
- Identifying relationship patterns that are helpful, or existing patterns that are interfering with your growth and wellbeing.
- I offer online therapy (video conference style of therapy), which provides increased level of comfort as you could meet with me from the privacy and comfort of your own home or other location.
You can request a specific appointment time that fits your schedule. Once confirmed, you can complete all New Patient Intake paperwork online as well.
*** The tips offered in this article are for general information and should not be considered medical or psychological advice. For more personalized recommendations appropriate to your individual situation, please contact us or obtain professional guidance.
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