This has been an extremely long winter here in the Midwest. Record-setting cold, and snowstorm after snowstorm has made even the cheeriest winter-lover a little grumpy. To add insult to injury recent warmer temps and rain have resulted in historic flooding across Nebraska and Iowa. The town where I lived for years (and attended beauty school in) has become a veritable island and is inaccessible by road. Major highways and bridges have been washed away. Lives lost, houses damaged, and heartbreak everywhere.
In those circumstances its hard to concentrate on anything but the fear, the devastation, and the hurt. My family has been through more than one experience where everything felt hopeless. What I have learned through those times is that is when its the MOST important top focus on what you still have, not what you lost. Cultivating a gratitude habit has not only helped keep me sane through some of life’s trials, it has made me a happier, more positive person.
Gratitude journaling is a fun and easy way to get in the habit of practicing gratitude. I have tried tons of different methods of gratitude journaling, but today I am going to share my two favorites. The first is simply writing down 3 things you are grateful for every day. You can do this on a calendar (I did this in an Erin Condren Deluxe Monthly planner last year) or in a notebook. This year I am using an Erin Condren Coiled Notebook to jot down 3 things I am grateful for. I love these notebooks for a “brain dump” where I can add lists, etc. so it is so convenient to also add my gratitude journaling to it!
The paper in these new notebooks is amazing! It stands up to my doodling and layering of pens. My favorite pens at the moment are the Erin Condren Tropics pack of the Dual Tip Markers, and ALL the new Erin Condren Gel Pens! I love the vibrant colors, and I also love the super fine .38 tip of the gel pens.
I was talking with a friend about gratitude journaling the other day, and she told me that she wants to incorporate this habit into her daily routine, but she either forgets or finds herself staring at an empty page. That inspired me to come up with a list of prompts that will take you through the entire month of April journaling your gratitude!
For this project I am using one of the new Erin Condren Softcover Notebooks. These are 5″ x 8″ with a bend-able cover that is sturdy enough to throw in your purse, but flexible enough to stay flat open while you are using it! These will also fit into an Erin Condren on The Go Folio, which is a huge plus for me!
These notebooks come in dot grid or lined, but I chose dot grid because I like to doodle.
This can look however you want it to. Whether you want to write the prompts daily (like I did in photo above), or just print out the prompts and glue them in your journal – do what works for you. The object is to get into a habit, not to make it pretty or too time-consuming. You can print out the prompts by clicking on the image below.
Once you have the prompts printed out, decide how you want to answer them. Just a quick sentence? Or maybe get a little more in depth and write a paragraph or two? Again, do what is going to work for you and something you know you’ll keep uo with everything day. Once you have your notebook and pens of choice, you’re ready to get started!
One tip that has helped me stay on track with gratitude journaling every day is doing it at the same time. I have incorporated it into my morning routine, so now I do it like second nature. If you really have a hard time remembering, set an alarm on your phone!
Are you going to journal your gratitude with me through April? Let me know in the comments below!