I didn’t expect gratitude journaling to change my life. I had tried journaling before, many times, in fact. I hoped it would help with stress and anxiety, but it always felt like a chore. I never knew what to write, and instead of feeling lighter, I felt more burdened. So I stopped trying. According to the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, keeping a gratitude journal can increase happiness, improve sleep, and strengthen relationships.
Then, during the pandemic, I came across an article that introduced me to a different kind of journaling, one rooted in gratitude. The author suggested something simple: write down two or three things you feel grateful for. Not just the obvious ones like family or health, but the small, specific moments that often go unnoticed.
I was feeling anxious and overwhelmed, like so many others at the time. So I decided to try it. I placed a small notepad and pen in my nightstand and set a gentle goal: write two or three times a week. No pressure. Just presence.
At first, I wrote about the basics, things that felt especially precious during those uncertain days. I was grateful to be employed, to have health insurance, to work remotely, to have access to what I needed online. I was grateful my family and pets were healthy. These weren’t just routine blessings, they were lifelines.
But something shifted after a couple of weeks. I found myself looking for things throughout the day that I wanted to write down later. The sound of geese flying overhead. A perfectly ripe banana (there’s only a two-day window when they’re exactly how I like them). One day I wrote, “I’m grateful you can edit your posts on Facebook!”, a small but satisfying relief after a typo. I smiled at my cat Charlotte snuggling with the dogs, and laughed when I saw the dogs refuse to use their beds if a cat was already curled up there. I was grateful for sleeping in late. For a rainy fall day. For a bird that flew into the window, lay stunned for a while, and then flew away—alive and free.
Gratitude journaling helped me stay present. It gently nudged me to look for beauty, humor, and joy in everyday life. And that presence, in turn, softened my anxiety and made each moment more vivid and memorable. Research published by the National Institutes of Health shows that gratitude practices are linked to reduced anxiety, greater emotional resilience, and improved overall well-being.
I’ve kept up the habit, two or three times a week, sometimes more if something feels worth writing down. I don’t push myself to do it daily. For me, sustainability matters more than frequency. If it becomes something I feel like I “have to do,” it loses its magic. But when I do it because I want to, it becomes a ritual of joy.
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Gratitude journaling offers more than peace in the present, it becomes a time capsule of joyful moments. While writing this post, I looked back through my early entries and felt joy remembering those small, meaningful moments. Harvard Health confirms that expressing gratitude is consistently associated with greater happiness and more positive emotions.
You don’t need anything fancy to begin. A napkin will do if that is all you have. But I’ve found that using a small, beautiful notebook and a pen I love makes the experience feel more intentional, and a little bit like pampering. I like to use these small happiness journals from Amazon and these cute vintage looking pens that feel good in my hand. It’s a small touch, but it makes the ritual feel like a gift.
If you’re looking for a gentle way to reconnect with the present, gratitude journaling might be the simplest place to start. No pressure. Just presence. If you enjoy gentle practices like journaling, you may also love our free guided forest bathing meditation, another beautiful way to reconnect with yourself and the present moment.
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