39 Gratitude Journal Prompts for Wellness, Happiness and Thankfulness

Gratitude Journal Prompts

It’s a season of gratitude and Thanksgiving!

Start your gratitude journal today with these gratitude journal prompts and become more thankful and happier by the next Thanksgiving.

“Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude” – Nigel Hamilton

5 minutes of written positive affirmations and gratitude can help you unveil the power of positive emotions. It can not only reduce your stress but also increase your productivity.

 If you’re stuck and looking for some gratitude journal prompts so that you can write them down in your journal, Gratitude App, or a diary.
Gratitude journal prompts quote

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfrey

 

What is a Gratitude Journal?

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie

Gratitude is the expression of appreciation for what one has. It is a recognition of value independent of monetary worth. Spontaneously generated from within, it is an affirmation of goodness and warmth. – Psychology Today. 

It starts with noticing the goodness in your life and around you. We live in an ever-changing environment, especially during the pandemic, stress has become a part of our life and it takes a toll on our health. When we write down our thoughts in a journal, it decreases the intensity of the negative emotions and gives us a different perspective of things around us. Gratitude journal highlights things that we have in our lives but we overlook.

Gratitude Journal Prompts

Benefits of gratitude journal prompt

“Gratitude works its magic by serving as an antidote to negative emotions. It’s like white blood cells for the soul, protecting us from cynicism, entitlement, anger, and resignation.”- Arianna Huffington, Thrive

When we write down the list of positive events, things that make us happy and calm -at the end of a day- not only lowers stress levels but also results in better sleep at night. Your gratitude journal becomes an anchor on a day when things aren’t going right- just flip the pages and read your blessings in life. Here are some of the mental and physical health benefits of a Gratitude journal. 

    • Lower stress and anxiety levels
    • Better sleep
    • Enhances empathy and reduces aggression
    • Encourage positive emotions and reduces toxic emotions 
    • Helps you focus on things that are important in your life

via GIPHY

Gratitude journal prompts

What are the three things that made you grateful today? 

Family. Food to eat. Home.

Sounds easy-peasy, right?

But what will you write the next day in your gratitude journal? You already wrote three things you are grateful for and you can’t repeat the same, every day. 

Lack of journal prompts makes journaling a bit difficult as you can’t sail without wind. And then, these gratitude journal prompts come to your rescue. Use these gratitude journals prompts daily to see the magic of gratitude in your life. 

Tip: Don’t answer in one word. Try to elaborate on your answers and explain.

39 Gratitude journal prompts for wellness, happiness, and thankfulness 

  1. I am happiest when…
  2. Things in the room that you’re grateful for…
  3. Recall a favorite memory that you’re grateful for
  4. Name a friend you’re grateful for and why
  5. What is the proudest moment of your life?
  6. What’s a possession that makes your life easier?
  7. What painful experience has helped you to grow?
  8. What is your best skill?
  9. What knowledge are you grateful for?
  10. What is the best gift you’ve ever received?
  11. What’s something positive in your life that you didn’t have a year ago?
  12. What/who made you smile today?
  13. What book are you most grateful for?
  14. What person in your past are you most grateful for?
  15. What small things are you grateful for today?
  16. What risk are you most grateful for having taken?
  17. Name something or someone that makes you feel safe
  18. What do you like about your job/school?
  19. Name a place that makes you feel happy
  20. Name a challenge that you’ve overcome
  21. List all the people that have a positive effect on your life
  22. What is your favorite way to relax?
  23. What was your best holiday you ever went on?
  24. What are 5 things you have that most of the world does not?
  25. What is your favorite thing about your personality?
  26. Write about a time you helped someone.
  27. Write about the happiest time of your life.
  28. What was your favorite present you ever received?
  29. What was the proudest moment of your life?
  30. What positive impact do you bring to the world?
  31. Do you have a set time of day you remember to be mindful and grateful?
  32. Do you think you spend enough time being grateful?
  33. What routines do you have that you take for granted?
  34. What was your favorite childhood hobby?
  35. Name 5 people who have had the greatest positive impact on your life. Why?
  36. What is the last thing you bought which brought you joy?
  37. What do you do when you want to treat yourself?
  38. What is something you do that you would like to do more often?
  39. What is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to you?

39 Gratitude journal prompts

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward

Wishing all my friends who celebrate Thanksgiving – Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you liked the post.

Lots of Love,

xoxo

 

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104 Comments

  1. Just with a friend of mine I was talking about the importance of journals, she who told me about them and introduced me to this way and the many types that exist. That of gratitude, in a small way, I keep it too.

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  2. This is lovely and so important this time of year!

  3. I needed this. Sometimes we focus on what we lack that we fail to see what we have.

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  4. I just started the affirmation meditation. It do wonders. I will add this as well in a daily journal. It really helps my mental health.

  5. Thank you so much for sharing this list. I have the ‘Sunday Journal’ that has similar prompts like these. I think they’re really helpful as it makes us dig deeper and reflect more in life. 🙂

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  6. These are wondeful ideas, I’m learning how to practices and making gratitude a daily habit and so far it’s been great. I will share this with my friends.

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  7. Journaling is good for everyone and focusing on being grateful is so important for one’s well being like you said.

    1. That’s so true…Thanks!

  8. I love this post. I have a grateful Friday post weekly and you gave me more inspiration.

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  9. It’s good to practice having gratitude for a lot of things.

  10. I love the idea of a gratitude binder and have one myself. I love these wonderful tips for the holiday season and will be using a few 🙂

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  11. It really doesn’t take long to journal, and it does provide a wonderful outlet and peace of mind. My daughter is big on journaling.

    1. Thanks…I completely agree with you it doesn’t take long to journal.

  12. I’ve been wanting to start a gratitude journal for a while. This is so helpful!

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  13. I learned to be grateful for small things since childhood, and I thanks my Mother for teaching us that kind of attitude. It feels so good and feels that life is beautiful even with many struggles.

    1. That’s so nice! It is so important to teach children the power of gratitude. Thanks 😊

  14. Lots of lovely and useful tip and who doesn’t like to be grateful even when they lack ideas?
    Thank you and I think it will help a lot of people and readers.
    – Knycx Journeying

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  15. This is amazing. I have been doing this but always with the same prompt. I like the variety of questions because it’s easier to think of new things to be grateful for when the phrasing is different. Thank you for sharing, I will make sure to use these in my journaling!

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  16. Its really appreciable as it has positive effect on our thoughts.

  17. This is such a great idea, especially in 2020 and this time of year. Thank you for sharing and inspiring.

    1. Thanks… I am glad that you liked the post.

  18. These are such great ideas! I was looking for gratitude journal prompts, and now got this list. Thanks for sharing 💕

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  19. I love prompts. It really helps when you can’t think of anything to write. Answering one prompt normally leads to me going down the rabbit hole of writing other things that pop in my head. I will be saving this list. Thank you!

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  20. Thanks for these ideas on journaling. It’s these ideas that can get me started when I don’t know where to begin.

    1. Thanks…I am glad you liked the journaling ideas.

  21. These are so important. Especially during the current pandemic we realise everything we’ve taken for granted. Thanks for sharing!

    1. I completely agree with you. Thanks 😊

  22. I really believe that Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude! We should all be thankful for the things we have even the smallest one. We should also be thankful that we are surviving this year.

    1. I completely agree with you… We all should be thankful that we survived 2020.

  23. These gratitude journal prompts as a good reminder for myself when I run out of ideas on what to share on my journal

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  24. Love these prompts you recommend to get your mind rolling when writing in your gratitude journal. I know sometimes with life we can get a bit distracted so offering these can perhaps help someone to stop and think of a particular thing or event that brings them joy.

    1. Dealing with distractions is really difficult. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  25. There are so many good quotes and thanks for sharing with us. I guess the ultimate question is: how to find your inner peace and satisfatction, and one wqay to do that is always be grateful.
    – Knycx journeying

    1. Dealing with distractions is really difficult. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  26. We all need a little more structure and help now a days. This is a great way to reflect in a very easy way.

  27. People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they’re thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems. Thanks for these prompts!

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  28. I’m someone who practices gratitude a lot and I have also written about it a few times, but I’d never thought of keeping a gratitude journal – until now.
    Thanks.

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you liked the post.

  29. What an amazing list of questions – we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Belgium 🙂

  30. With all the crazy going on these days it is so important to remember that the world isn’t as bleak and terrible as the media makes it out to be and practicing gratitude really beings things back into focus

    1. I completely agree with you…practicing gratitude helps us in looking at the World in a positive light. Thanks 😊

  31. These are great questions that everyone should answer in their gratitude journal. I’ll definitely give it a try!!

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you liked the post.

  32. I am learning to practice gratitude daily and these prompts are going to be super helpful. Thanks for sharing this pointers.

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  33. Wow!! Such a comprehensive list of questionnaire. A fantastic way to reflect.

  34. This is such an important lost especially with how crazy this year has been thanks for sharing

  35. yeah!! I know what i can do when am clearing my leave next month, thanks for this prompts & keeping busy journaling then 😀 cheers, siennylovesdrawing

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you liked the post.

  36. I’ve had the same problem of repeating what you’re thankful for the next day! It’s great that these prompts can add more meaning to my gratitude journal. This is timely as I need to improve my sleep too so I’d better get back to writing again. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  37. the first thing for us to be thankful,is waking up the morning with a positive mind.enjoying breakfast with family and the rest would follow just fine…starting with this would surely end our day just fine..and before sleeping dont forget to say thank you for all the things that happen even if it is good or bad

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  38. I really like this idea of a gratitude journal. I am going to try this for myself.

  39. These are awesome! I would love to start a gratitude journal, it is such a great idea.

  40. Love this such a great idea for a post and a lovely way to get the ideas flowing too thank you x

  41. These are all such great ideas. It is such a good time to think about the things we are grateful for.

  42. This is such an uplifting post! Thanks for sharing.

  43. I guess I should get a gratitude journal but one doesn’t necessarily need one to feel gratitude. We should always have that feeling. No matter what my situation, I’m better now than I was in the past and I’m grateful for that.

    1. Thanks… I am glad that you’re planning to start a gratitude journal.

  44. These are great prompts. I have heard a few people talk about the benefits of a gratitude journal but I found that I was struggling with where to start. This is the perfect jumping off point! I’m going to grab a notebook and start writing my first entry into my journal this weekend.

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you found the post helpful.

  45. So many people are into journaling these days. These are all really good prompts. I’d probably write about food, loads!!!!

  46. Love these prompts! #24 is a good one. So many people need to realize that having running water, food to eat, a roof over the heads are three things they should be thankful for daily!

  47. I love these prompts! I’m going to work my way down the list in my new gratitude journal! Thank you.

  48. Wonderful prompts! Funny enough, while decluttering yesterday I found one of my old gratitude journals and reading it back brought a surrrrge of warmth to my spirit.

    1. That’s so nice! I love reading my old journals too. Thanks 😊

  49. These are some really beautiful prompts. I loved reading them all. We should be grateful to everything we have

  50. My friend has one and always tells me to start one too. I will next year!

  51. Journaling can be therapeutic. I used to do it some years ago but somehow I stopped. I think I should revisit it. And yes, we do have a lot to be thankful for.

    1. Thanks…I am sure you will like revisiting your old journals.

  52. This is an impressive collection of prompts for a journal. I love your approach as we all have so much to be grateful for.

    1. Thanks…I am glad that you liked the post.

  53. This month I was aiming to journal each and every day. Though I have missed a few days, I am back to it and I will definitely be using these prompts to write my journals.

    1. Thanks… I am glad that you liked the post.

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