Gratitude may be one of the most difficult values to cultivate and develop.
Research shows that the art of gratitude doesn’t come naturally for most people.
Nonetheless, it is one of the most effective ways to improve quality of life and increase happiness. Knowing when and how to be thankful is a sure way to reduce your worries and avoid negativity.
Journal to Develop the Gratitude Habit
We want to help you learn to develop this habit. In this article, we have gathered the best gratitude journals that can help you become more thankful this year.
While gratitude is not something you learn overnight, we believe that, through journaling and practice, you will be able to develop this important trait.
Let’s check out the journals!
1. The 90-Day Gratitude Journal by Steve Scott & Barrie Davenport
Steve and Barrie both believe that the antidote to unhappiness does not come from earthly things such as material satisfaction, success, or weight goal achievements. For them, “the antidote is gratitude” for the things you have at the moment.
In The 90-Day Gratitude Journal, they try to help readers turn gratitude into a habit. The journal emphasizes three important core values: simplicity, positivity, and habit-building. For 90 days, you will follow a nine-step process that will guide you in journaling and turn your gratitude into a lifetime habit.
2. The Five-Minute Journal by Intelligent Change Store
The 5-Minute Journal by the Intelligent Change Store is like a modern classic. It looks classy and elegant and is available in six different colors, all in original linen covers.
This journal’s ultimate objective is to cultivate gratitude and mindfulness among people through journaling.
It helps you appreciate the things you want to be grateful for with daily prompts that start and end your day with a deep reflection of your life’s highlights. As you go fill it with entries, you become more and more confident about your life choices.
True to its name, this journal helps you become happy in just five minutes. It is advertised as the “simplest thing you can do to start and enjoy your day happier in just five minutes a day.”
3. Good Days Start With Gratitude Journal by Pretty Simple Press
Pretty Simple Press offers a 52-week guide to cultivating a habit of gratitude toward life. As its name suggests, good days always start with gratitude. Hence, the focus is on being thankful for what we have—even the simplest things, like enjoying a cup of coffee or reading a favorite book.
This self-exploration journal has well-designed weekly spreads that contain inspirational quotes, checkpoints, and enough space to write three things you are grateful for each day. It is also aesthetically pleasing, with its floral drawings and neat pages.
We recommend Good Days Start With Gratitude Journal if you want something simple yet effective. It has good customer reviews on Amazon and most people report that they are satisfied with its content.
4. The 3-Minute Gratitude Journal for Kids by Modern Kid Press
One of the best things you can do for your children is to teach them about gratitude at an early age. Habits are easier to cultivate among children, since they have the ability to learn fast.
The 3-Minute Gratitude Journal for Kids is a kiddie version of the previous entry (Good Days Start With Gratitude). Its target customers are children from five to nine years old, and it uses roughly the same concept.
The goal is to be able to write down at least three things you are thankful for each day. This could include playing with a friend, visiting a family member, or learning a new activity.
With a high rating and a bunch of positive reviews from consumers, this journal may be just what you need to help your children be mindful and grateful, even at a young age.
5. The One-Minute Gratitude Journal by Brenda Nathan
Brenda is a freelance writer who is a master at creating and keeping journals. The One-Minute Gratitude Journal is one of her earliest masterpieces, focused on helping people list down things that they are thankful for.
What’s interesting about this journal is that it is un-dated. From a journal keeper’s point of view, this means less pressure to come up with words and things to write about. You have the freedom to write down your entry dates and not feel guilty if you miss a day or two. Likewise, it has spaces where you can write (or even draw) whatever you want to.
We recommend this product to those who like their journals un-dated and less restricted. It is a good fit for those with a creative mind.
6. Start with Gratitude Journal by Happy Books Hub
Happy Books Hub advertises this journal as the “easiest tool to transform your life in just five minutes.” On the surface, it may be similar to the classic five-minute journal, but if you take a good look at it, you will see that it has a few unique features.
The journal’s focus is on your overall mental health and the factors that may be affecting it.
For instance, it has a set of prompts about your mood, sleep, and energy. It tackles your relationships with yourself and other people, as well as your career and personal goals. Bottom line—it does a great job at reducing your stress, anxiety, and other toxic emotions like envy and regret.
Start with Gratitude Journal is ideal for busy people who do not have the time to do longer self-reflection sessions. You only need five minutes per day to finish the prompts, but that short time is enough to help keep you happy and content with life.
7. Gratitude: A Day and Night Reflection Journal by Insight Editions
If you are looking for a journal with an elegant design, we recommend trying Gratitude: A Day and Night Reflection Journal by Insight Editions. Its theme revolves around celebrating life every moment of the day, while cultivating happiness and preserving memories with a mindful and thankful perspective.
This is a 90-day self-reflection journal that helps you develop the habit of being grateful. According to its manufacturer, it is designed to significantly improve your overall mental health and well-being. In addition to gratitude, it also increases self-awareness and confidence.
Gratitude is part of Insight Editions’ series of reflection journals entitled “Inner World.” It consists of 184 lined, acid-free pages, with beautiful illustrations and well-written prompts. It comes in a deluxe design, like all the other journals that are part of the series.
8. The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal by Sophia Godkin
Sophia Godkin believes that happiness begins with gratitude—always being thankful for the people and experiences that contribute to making our lives well-lived. She created The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal which is filled with insightful prompts to help make this value part of your daily habits.
With the help of this journal, you will be able to notice and appreciate all the things that matter in your life, whether big or small—even those that you might previously have taken for granted. It teaches us the importance of taking a break and acknowledging our small wins.
This journal may a good fit for journaling beginners. It has easy-to-answer journal prompts and quickly completed weekly spreads that make can make your journaling adventure fun!
9. Gratitude Journal by Sujatha Lalgudi & Hippidoo
Here is another 90-day journal that helps to hone your habits of positivity and gratitude. The creators believe in the advantages of investing in journaling, even just or a few minutes per day—two to three minutes, to be exact—if it means you can improve your general well-being.
Using the Gratitude Journal is quite simple, although you need to remember that there is both a morning and evening ritual involved.
In the morning, you just need to read the quote provided for that day, while in the evening, you write short answers about your goals and the things you have learned.
Sujatha Lalgudi is a writer, painter, and children’s book storyteller, while Hippidoo is also a writer and a reading advocate whose identity is anonymous.
10. Gratitude Journal for Men & Women by Clever Fox Store
The Gratitude Journal for Men & Women comes in 11 different colors (our favorites are black and mystic blue) in A5 size. It has a pen loop, an elastic band, three ribbon bookmarks, and a back pocket. It also comes with three bonus sticker sheets to make your journaling more creative and fun.
We recommend this product if you are looking for something that is more than just a gratitude journal. Our research shows that it is a great fit if your goal is to have a space to write about your daily thoughts and experiences, as well as the things you are grateful for.
11. Gratitude Journal for Women by the RYVE Store
Like our previous entry, this Gratitude Journal for Women is more than just a gratitude journal. It also covers mindfulness and self-care, as it provides insightful prompts that can help you “break negative thought patterns” and “raise your spirit.” It is also good for 180 days.
Its daily pages include a positive affirmation, a gratefulness prompt, top three priorities, a daily reflection, and an inspirational quote. Its weekly sessions include a self-reflection section, upcoming priorities, and action prompts.
The journal is available in three different colors (beige, green, and navy) and has 252 pages. Its cover is made from fabric, with a binding that is durable and tough.
Final Thoughts on Gratitude Journals
As mentioned earlier, it can be challenging to practice and develop a gratitude habit. Nevertheless, you should try incorporating it into your life—you’ll be surprised by its benefits.
We hope that, with these journals, you will be able to start establishing your gratitude foundation. Here’s to being a lot more thankful and a lot happier!
And if you're looking for more resources on gratitude, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge: A Guide
- Benefits of Gratitude: 31 Powerful Reasons to be More Grateful
- 151 Gratitude Journal Prompts for Daily Thankfulness
