Best Gratitude Journal Prompts

Writing in your Gratitude Notebook daily is a conscious way to work on improving your life. Being grateful for your life is one thing, but actively working on writing it all out is another – and it's what everyone should do! Daily writing can help a “bad day” turn into a “bad afternoon” instead. It can shorten the duration of how long you're frustrated at a situation, and can help you reflect on what you should be thankful for.

gratitude journal prompts

Daily Gratitude Journal Prompts

Whether you've been writing in your Gratitude Journal for years or are just starting because you found this post with journal prompts, I've got you covered! My brain is always coming up with new ideas to add to my Gratitude Journal, so this list will be updated frequently.

Need even MORE prompts? Taima over at Poor in a Private Plane has a list of 101+ journal prompts to keep you busy for ages!!

Benefits of Gratitude Journaling

Writing, speaking – or at the very least, acknowledging – what you're grateful for daily is said to:

  • improve mental health
  • decrease depression and anxiety and increase happiness
  • help you cope with everyday life… it's tough!
  • boost your self-esteem
  • teach you about the importance of self-care

Lead by example by speaking your gratitude out loud on a daily basis. Raising children as an angry mom can be tough. Hell, even if you aren't an angry mom it's tough. As a mom with anger issues, I have to be extra careful about what I say and do, especially in front of my children. A Gratitude Journal helps keep me on track with positivity daily.

Ideas for your Gratitude Journal

The best thing about a Gratitude Journal – or any journal, really – is that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to do it. Whatever you're thinking, whatever you're feeling, jot it down! If you're frustrated about something, consider having a journal for brain dumping your rants – a Gratitude Journal is for gratitude. 😉

Something that…

  • made you smile today
  • you take for granted
  • was a wish come true (past or present)
  • you are good at doing
  • cheers you up when you're upset
  • makes your life easier
  • you enjoy eating
  • you learned recently
  • you've accomplished in your life
  • you've accomplished recently
  • you recently purchased that adds value to your life
  • you look forward to every day
  • you're currently doing well

A song that…

  • triggers a good memory
  • makes you want to get up and dance
  • makes you feel happy

Someone who…

  • has had a positive impact on your life
  • makes you smile
  • gives you butterflies (the good ones!)
  • inspires you to be better
  • is your favorite author, musician, or actor and how they inspire you

A place that…

  • brings back good memories
  • makes you want to travel there again
  • you've never been (make a Bucket List!)

Why I am thankful for my…

  • body
  • mind
  • family
  • friends
  • home
  • job

Describe…

  • your “perfect” day – then make it happen!
  • your “perfect” vacation – then make it happen!
  • your favorite indulgent food and how it makes you feel
  • your favorite healthy food and how it makes you feel
  • your favorite drink – at the coffee shop or at home – and how it makes you feel
  • your favorite outfit
  • a time when you felt courageous
  • a time when you were the happiest
  • a painful experience that turned out positive
  • something you've recently fixed

What is your favorite thing about…?

  • your life right now
  • each of your family members, kids, etc
  • each of your friends
  • each day of the week
  • each month of the year
  • each season

Grateful Statements

“I am grateful for __________ because ___________.”

“I am looking forward to ________ because __________.”

“I am thankful for (this difficult lesson) because _____________.”

Gratitude Lists

  • List 5 qualities you love about yourself, and why.
  • List 3 people you are thankful to have in your life, and why.
  • List 10 things you love about your life right now, and why. Reflect on how to change the things you don't like.
  • List 3 hobbies you enjoy, and why.
  • List 5 songs that make you happy.
  • List 5 books you learned something from, along with what you learned.
  • List 3 lessons you learned this year and why you're grateful for them.
  • List 5 superficial or material things you are thankful for, and why.
journal prompts gratitude

Gratitude Questions to Answer

  • What is something I am thankful for that I didn't have a year ago, but I have today?
  • What is one mistake I've made, that taught me a positive lesson?
  • Who is a teacher or mentor I am thankful for? Past or present.
  • What is something I am looking forward to over the next few months?
  • What is my passion? What is my purpose? How can I serve others?
  • What do I like about the current weather and season?
  • What are my spiritual beliefs? Why am I thankful for them? How can I share them with others?
  • What are the last 5 things I purchased? How do they add value to my life? Should I make different shopping choices moving forward?
  • Where is my favorite spot in my home? Why do I love it? How does it make me feel?
  • What is the best book I've read this year? Why is it great? How can I translate it to my life?
  • How can I flip a situation that is currently annoying me, and change it into a positive?
  • How is my life better now than it was 5 years ago? What changes am I most thankful for?
  • Am I grateful to be alive? If not, how will I change my perspective? Write 5 action tips.

Gratitude Action Prompts

  • Open the nearest window. What do you see? What are you thankful for?
  • Open the front or back door. What do you see? What are you grateful for, and why?
  • Next time you drive your car to the store, look around. Show gratitude to everything.
  • Take a walk in the woods. Give thanks to Mother Nature, to the trees, to the weather.
  • Go for a brisk walk. Thank the Universe for your healthy body and the ability to walk.
  • Volunteer. Be grateful you're able to do so.
  • Clean out your closet or another area of your house that needs tending to. Thank your belongings, Marie Kondo style. If they do not spark joy, get rid of them. In your Gratitude Journal, talk about how you feel after the area is clean.
  • Go to a store that has candles or incense. Write about your experience, how your favorite smells made you feel, and which smells brought back happy memories.
  • Use your five senses: what can you see, smell, taste, touch, hear that you are thankful for?
  • Talk to someone you need to make amends with. Write down why you are grateful for that person and what you learned from the conversation.
  • Pamper yourself. Practice self-care today, and write about how it makes you feel.
  • Try something new, then write about why you're grateful for that experience.
  • Write a thank you note to someone – whether online or offline – and write the “why” behind the note in your journal.
  • Stretch out your arms. Write about everything you're grateful for that is within your reach.

Gratitude Quotes

I like to write quotes in my Gratitude Journal. Here are a few to get you started:

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

“Happiness cannot be traveled to owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley

“In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” – Rhonda Byrne

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson

“The root of joy is gratefulness.” – David Steindl-Rast

“Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible.” –  Anonymous

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

Feeling crafty? Want your kids to participate? Create a Gratitude Tree!

If this post helped you, inspired you, or heck, even if you read this far… please take a moment to choose one of the pins below and PIN IT on Pinterest!

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