Did you know the 20th of March is the International Day of Happiness? If you’re wondering what that is, it’s as simple as it sounds: a day to be happy! Back in 2013, the UN started celebrating to acknowledge the importance of happiness in improving the quality of life of people around the world. We hope our mood-boosting blends, body care products, and expert blog articles are already bringing you joy, and to help you smile a little bigger and brighter today, we’ve got another strategy up our sleeves.
In this article, we’ll look at how gratitude journaling can cultivate happiness. We’ve got some prompts you can use morning, afternoon, or evening to make the habit work for you. When you focus on the good, the good gets better – so grab your journals and start writing it down!
What is gratitude journaling?
Gratitude journaling is very straightforward. You simply write down a list of things you’ve experienced that you are grateful for. People usually stick to a certain number and period, say 5 things they’re grateful for that day. Unlike other journaling practices, the entries are quick, brief, and basic. Just a sentence or bullet-pointed list will do. You don’t have to dig too deep or think outside the box either, a cup of tea or a friendship works perfectly. The key thing is to dwell on your list and sit with the feelings of gratitude. It’s a small task to do, but if done right, the benefits are huge.
What are the benefits of gratitude journaling?
While gratitude might seem like an airy-fairy concept, scientific studies show it has tangible benefits for you. Researcher Chih-Che Lin, for example, found that a high level of gratitude has a positive impact on psychological well-being and self-esteem and reduces the risk of depression.The best thing is, with journaling, you can cultivate more of it. Studies show that spending just 5 minutes a day journaling about what you’re grateful for can enhance long-term happiness by over 10%. Of course, there’s a reason we’ve got you gratitude journaling prompts for the International Day of Happiness!
Journal Prompts for International Day of Happiness
We’ve broken up these gratitude journaling prompts into the morning, lunch break, and evening sets, so you can build a habit that works best for you. You might want to pick one from each category and build up your gratitude throughout the day, or you might want to carve out a bigger chunk to settle down into a longer journaling session. Perhaps you want to celebrate International Day of Happiness by really getting stuck in by giving them all a go.
5 Morning journal prompts
The mornings are a great time to boost serotonin and set a positive tone for the day. You could your journaling with a habit you already have a place, like drinking your coffee or eating your breakfast.
- What are 5 things I am grateful for this morning?
- What are 3 things I love about myself?
- What are 3 small joys I will make time for today?
- What’s 1 thing I am looking forward to today?
- What’s 1 thing I’d like to accomplish today?
5 Lunchtime journal prompts
If you’re energy dips in the afternoon and you struggle to make it past the midweek slump, you might want to optimise your lunch break with some journaling to reset and reflect.
- What are 5 things I am grateful for this afternoon?
- Who am I most grateful for today, and how will I thank them?
- What’s 1 thing I’m looking forward to this weekend?
- What joke or story made me laugh today?
- Write down 3 motivational affirmations.
5 Evening journal prompts
Spending your last few waking moments dwelling on the best parts of the day, and you’ll drift off with a smile on your face. Hopefully, it’ll help you get a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling recharged too.
- What are 5 things I am grateful for this evening?
- What was the best thing that happened to me today?
- What is the number 1 lesson I can take from today?
- I am grateful for myself today because…
- I am proud of myself today because…
Happy International Day of Happiness from Tisserand!
