How to start a gratitude journal

Some days run by without much standing out. A gratitude journal is a small, chosen practice for catching the parts that did.

What you'll need

A notebook, or any notes app you already use.

A few quiet minutes.

A regular moment to settle into. Many people pick last thing at night.

The steps

1. Pick your moment. The same time each day makes it easier to come back to. Last thing at night is common, but morning or a lunch break works just as well.

2. Write down three things from the day, however small. A good coffee, a message from a friend, a task that finally got done. The small ones count as much as the big ones.

3. Add a line on why, if you feel like it. Not "my friend called" but "my friend called when I was having a flat afternoon". The why is often where the warmth is.

4. Keep it short. Three lines is plenty. This is meant to be light, not another thing to get right.

5. Look back now and then. After a week or two you have a page of small good things you might otherwise have forgotten.

Good to know

There is no correct way to do this. Some people write every day, some a few times a week. Some keep it to one line, some write a paragraph. Skip a day without it being a failure, and pick it back up when you like.

If three things feels like a stretch on a hard day, one is fine. Noticing one small thing on a heavy day is its own kind of practice.

Some research suggests that regular gratitude practices may support mood and life satisfaction, and may ease symptoms of anxiety and low mood over time. The effects tend to be modest, and researchers describe it as something that sits alongside other support rather than replacing it. Writing a good thing down, rather than just thinking it, seems to keep the mind on it a little longer.

Give it a week or two, and see what it is like to look back over the page. You might notice which kinds of things you tend to write down, and what that shows you.