Advanced Gratitude Journaling: 5 Practices for Increased Happiness | The Chopra Center 5/30/17, 1:31 PM

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Advanced Gratitude Journaling: 5 Practices for Increased

Happiness
By Karson McGinley (/bios/karson-mcginley)

Gratitude has become very popular lately, and for good reason. According to research, gratitude is one of the
easiest and most beneficial tools (http://emmons.faculty.ucdavis.edu/gratitude-and-well-being/) for
boosting happiness levels on a neurological and emotional level. Many gratitude practitioners already
employ the practice of gratitude journaling and other simple gratitude practices
(http://www.chopra.com/articles/cultivate-the-healing-power-of-gratitude), but what if youre ready to
graduate to a more developed practice?

According to Robert Emmons (http://emmons.faculty.ucdavis.edu/), the world's leading scientific expert on

gratitude, people are 25 percent happier if they keep gratitude journals. That means if you were to rate your
happiness on a scale from 1 to 100, and you said 70, a journaling practice would bring you up to 95!

In addition, Emmons reveals in his book, Gratitude Works! (https://books.google.com/books?

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id=CPkoxnWwzaUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=gratitude+works!&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjK_Oedtq7TA
hVEslQKHZ3kD7UQ6AEIJTAA#v=onepage&q=gratitude%20works!&f=false), that those who keep gratitude
journals also sleep one half hour more per evening, and exercise 33 percent more each week compared to
those who dont keep journals.

There are layers and levels of gratitude, and there are many techniques beyond just the basics in terms of how
you can have a daily practice. Here are five daily practices for cultivating gratitude.

1. Write Down 3 Things

If youre new to a gratitude practice, try this practice for starters. It is the most basic gratitude practice, where
you write down three things for which you are grateful on any given day. Its important that you be as specific
as you can. For example, rather than simply writing down Im grateful for my husband, it is more eective to
write Im grateful that my husband picked up dinner for us on his way home from work today.

The more you practice this, the easier it gets. For some people, coming up with gratitudes is really dicult in
the beginning, and for others, it is so much a part of who they are that its almost boring. The idea for this and
all the exercises is that it teaches us to establish a habit of paying attention to gratitude-inspiring events.

2. Try a Timed Gratitude Session

Next try this deeper gratitude practice. Set a timer for five minutes, and start writing as many things as you can
for which you are grateful right now. Try not to overthink this; instead, do it in a stream-of-consciousness
style.

You might be surprised at how much you are able to write down in just five minutes. This is a nice practice
because you can write about just one thing, or you can write your appreciation about many things, if youre
feeling really good. And on the days when youre not feeling as hot, you can literally write about being
grateful that you made it home safely, or that you have running water.

3. Focus on Depth and Specificity

For this activity, pick one thing (i.e., your apartment or house), and write gratitudes about as many details as
you can. So you might write about how the ceilings are high, that there is soft carpet in the living room, and
that the shower has great water pressure.

This practice can be especially useful when you are irritated or frustrated in some area of your life. Say you
have a leaky roof, writing down a detailed explanation of all the reasons you love your house can help you put
the leak in perspective and prevent you from letting it ruin your day (or week, or year!).

4. Focus on Density
Gratitude density refers to the number of people to whom you feel grateful for a single situation or
circumstance. For example, if you recently received your Masters Degree, write down all of the people (your
professors, your parents, your high school teachers, your spouse, your children, etc.) who contributed to the
achievement of your goal.

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This is a fun practice to start to see how everything is connected. It allows you see how far you can backtrack
a given event. In fact, you can usually even backtrack some of the best things in your life to some sort of
disappointment. For example, if you hadnt gotten let go by your last job, you wouldnt have felt compelled to
apply for the Masters in the first place. By doing this, youre able to accept disappointment as it comes more
gracefully, and with faith that it will lead to something better.

5. Find Gratitude in Your Surroundings

Look around and write about what you see. If youre in your oce, your bedroom, or at the park, use your
power of observation and mindfulness to really appreciate everything around you.

Its so easy to take things for granted when you see them every day. This is a great practice for when youre
traveling or on vacation because it helps you to savor the experience, but what about trying this on your train
ride to work? You might notice the beauty of the passing architecture or the vibrancy of the flowering trees in
the distance. Appreciating what you take for granted will help you develop what Emmons calls a grateful
disposition
(http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/mmccullough/Papers/The%20Grateful%20Disposition_JPSP.pdf), which
is ultimately the goal of the gratitude practices in the first place.

How to Commit to Your Gratitude Practice

Now that youve read about some dierent gratitude practices, there is a vital next step you have to actually
do them! Simply reading about them does nothing. Gratitude journaling goes in the same category as
meditation, in that if its important to you, you must create the time in your schedule to make it happen, plain
and simple. To help you on your way, follow these 10 tips for successful gratitude journaling, and be assured
that you will experience positive eects on your life.

1. Commit to a written practice for 5 to 10 minutes at least three times a week. Every day is best, but if it
becomes just another thing on your list, three times a week can be more eective.
2. If you find yourself in a situation where you dont have anything to write with, try the voice memo feature
on your phone, or use social media as a way to share your gratitude with the people in your life.
3. Go for depth over span. Its better to give details about each entry rather than just create a rote list of
items.
4. Consider surprises, coincidences, and happy little accidents. What unexpected blessings did you benefit
from today? What were you dreading that didnt happen after all?
5. Think of the benefits you receive as gifts from the universe. Oer your gratitude for the lessons, gifts, and
opportunities for growth that the universe provided for you today.
6. Think about the people to whom you are grateful and why. Who deserves your thanks, but never
received it? Consider sharing your appreciation with them directly (in person or in a letter
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iptEvstz6_M)) for an even stronger eect.
7. Be grateful for the ordinary moments as much as the extraordinary ones. Identify the things you are
prone to take for granted, and oer your appreciation.
8. Allow your gratitude for someone or something to last over time. You can repeat an item from day to
day, but see if you can vary the details about why.
9. In times of challenge, remind yourself of ways that the situation could have been worse. By being
grateful for the negative outcomes you have avoided, escaped, or prevented, you prevent yourself from
going down a negativity spiral.

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Look at your gratitude practice as a way that you contribute to the world. By making the eort to
communicate your thankfulness to the people around you, you show and share your love. When people are
appreciated, they do better. And you can elevate the world one Thank You at a time.

Rediscover the joy, peace, and gratitude of simply being at Silent Awakenings, an intimate silent meditation
retreat with Deepak Chopra. Learn More.

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Section: Meditation (/articles/4/all)

Topics: Meditation (/articles/all/5) Personal Growth (/articles/all/27) Spirituality (/articles/all/25)

About the Author

Karson McGinley (/bios/karson-mcginley)
Yoga Teacher, Life Coach, and Joy Seeker

Karson McGinley is the founder of Happy-U ( H olistic A pproach to P ositive P sychology & Y oga) and the
co-owner (along with her husband) of Happy-U Namast Yoga Center (http://happyunamaste.com/) in San
Diego, CA. A teacher for over a decade, Karson works to bridge the gap between the ancient wisdom of yoga
and the modern science of happiness through her yoga classes, workshops, and Happy-Us Teacher Training
program. Karsons classes are inspired by what goes on in the modern day life of a joy-seeker, using the
power of music, laughter, and storytelling to take her students on a journey within. Drawing upon
her... Read more (/bios/karson-mcginley)

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