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If I asked you to take five minutes in the morning to write down three things you are thankful for, could you do it? Or would you struggle? Gratitude journals may sound a little woo-woo and “self-help-y”, but putting pen to paper and jotting down everything you’re grateful for – no matter how small – can actually shift your mindset, help you to reframe negative thoughts and find ways to feel positive.
In fact, there’s a range of impressive benefits of gratitude, daily check-ins and gratitude practice. According to a 2018 research review, writing down your deepest thoughts and feelings may contribute to fewer stress-related doctor visits, lower blood pressure, improved mood and greater well-being. While practicing gratitude has also been found to combat loneliness, improve life satisfaction, boost self-esteem and increase your ability to emphasise.
Experts suggest spending between five and 15 minutes focusing on the positive aspects of your life every day. Sure, life isn’t always sunshine and daisies – and taking a moment to pause and give thanks won’t eliminate all the negatives – but focusing on what you’re grateful for (clean water, nutritious food, loving friends) can make it easier to see light on even the darkest of days. And the New Year is a perfect time to start journaling. Unlike a diary or calendar, the pages aren't dated so it doesn't matter that you're not starting on January 1st. Simply use 2023 as your motivation to put pen to paper.
Can’t think of something positive? Make sure you choose a wellness journal with lots of helpful hints, quotes and specific writing exercises. After all, the best gratitude journals are the ones you’ll actually use. It needs to be a mindfulness journal you like the look of, and which you’ll enjoy writing in.
Before you start researching gratitude journals, think about the layout of the journal – do you prefer plain, lined, squared, or dotted paper? Do you like big or small gaps between the lines? Do you want space to doodle and be creative? Do you need gratitude prompts and different sections to celebrate your wins? Do you prefer paperback or hardback? Once you’ve thought about what kind of journal you need, it’s time to start cultivating an attitude of gratitude and putting your appreciation on paper.
Keep scrolling for our favourite gratitude journals filled with uplifting affirmations, activities and mottos to help you find joy on good days and bad.
Why we love it: Available in eight different colours and a Papier bestseller, this hardback gratitude journal asks you to write down three things you’re looking forward to in the morning, and three things you’re grateful for in the evening – that’s it. There are uplifting quotes littered throughout the template, including things like ‘remember, you are not your thoughts’ and ‘look how far you’ve come’ – and there are also set pages dedicated to a 30-day self-reflection, where you can jot down any thoughts, positive emotions and lessons from the past month. Just like a Papier notebook or diary, you can personalise the front cover of this gratitude journal with your name – and for every gratitude journal sold, they donate 50p to YoungMinds – the charity that helps young people get the mental health support they need.
Pros: Quick and easy to use and incorporate into your daily life.
Cons: There are only five months worth of entries, so if you’re dedicated to journaling every day you might get through it quicker than some of the others on the market.
Why we love it: This beautifully-made gratitude journal from Oliver Bonas features a pink geometric printed cover with a green fabric bookmark and gold lined pages. It splits the pages up into weeks – asking you to think of five overarching weekly goals, and then specific things you’re grateful for everyday. It also prompts you to consider your weekly achievements, three favourite moments and three things that made you smile.
Pros: It forces you to spend more time noticing the present.
Cons: If you forget a day it kind of messes up that weeks layout.
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Why we love it: The inside of this Papier journal is pretty much exactly the same layout as the Joy Gratitude Journal from Papier – it has daily pages with morning and evening entries, as well as pages for your 30-day reflections, uplifting mantras littered throughout and set exercises to help you to acknowledge and appreciate all that you have. We particularly liked the ‘Letter to yourself’ exercise – where you write a letter to your future self and imagine who you’ll be in a month, a year or a decade’s time (helpful if writing about the present is difficult). And we found the ‘life wheel’ exercise useful too – you colour in the areas of life you’ve focused on most recently, which helps you to visualise where you’ve been dedicating too much (or too little) time, such as, work or going to the gym.
Pros: Builds appreciation for what you have.
Cons: Hardback means it’s heavy to lug around.
We're feeling inspired.
Why we love it: In a bright sunshine yellow, this happiness journal is designed to boost your mood during daily practise. Crafted into 12 weeks of gratitude and mindfulness exercises, this isn’t just somewhere to jot down what you’re grateful for, but includes practical tools like shopping and meal-planning lists, too. With sections dedicated to daily intentions – where it asks you to consider your mantra for the day, three positive intentions and top three to-dos – plus sections on reflections (‘How would I sum up today?’ and ‘Three things I did well today’) and a mood checker, where, for example, you can draw a sunshine symbol if you felt positive, a star if you felt calm and content, or a lightening strike if you felt sad or blue, it really is one of the most organised daily companions out there.
Pros: The pages are undated, so you're free to journal at your own pace or just pick it up whenever you need a pick-me-up.
Cons: With 300 odd pages, it’s quite hefty.
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Why we love it: Journaling can be a hard habit to keep, but this one only requires five minutes of your time. Each page opens with an inspiring quote, and asks you to list three things you're grateful for, three things that would make today great, and a positive affirmation. There’s also space on the page for you to jot down your highlights of the day and what you learnt. With enough pages for 6 months, this undated journal comes in six different colours. Never journaled before? This one is easy to pick up thanks to its bite-sized prompts.
Pros: You only need five minutes.
Cons: Unlike Papier, you can’t personalise the front cover.
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Why we love it: Designed for you to spend just three minutes journaling in the morning and three minutes in the evening, this 6-minute diary is a great starting point for someone looking to make self-care a regular practice. The morning routine asks you what you’re grateful for, how you’ll make today great, and a positive affirmation, while the evening section asks you to list your good deed for the day, how you’ll improve, and great things you experienced. Super easy to use, there’s also a habit tracker and new reflection questions to answer each week.
Pros: Helps you begin and end the day with positivity.
Cons: There’s a section that attempts to explain all the science behind positive psychology and we felt this was a bit information overload and unnecessary for a journal.
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Why we love it: This ‘Come As You Are’ wellness journal from American brand Design Works includes 200 guided pages designed to assist you in your wellness and self care journey. With sections to celebrate your wins, space to write down and let go of what's limiting you, and a segment to practice gratitude. It even comes with a fun sticker sheet (no, stickers aren’t just for children), with stickers including slogans like ‘you do you’ and ‘better days ahead’, so you can track your progress.
Pros: Did we mention the stickers?!
Cons: Some of the prompts are a bit ‘woo-woo’ (eg. ‘I will honour my mind / body / spirit by…’).
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Asking for a friend.
Why we love it: ‘If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you need time and space to think. The only way to find it? Say no,’ so says one of the thought-provoking prompts in the Do It For Yourself motivational journal, it then asks you to write a list of things you’re going to say no to. Each of the exercises in this journal are designed to help reorient your outlook, overcome roadblocks, and encourage mindfulness – and they all sit beside eye-catching, pop-art-inspired graphics.
Pros: Structured gratitude exercises.
Cons: Some of the questions can be quite confronting, and may bring up a mix of emotions.
Why we love it: With designated space to spew everything you’re grateful for and to set your positive affirmation for the day, plus set colouring pages to help destress, this Daily Gratitude Journal also has breathing exercises, meditation tips, and snippets on how to tackle stress. We particularly liked the page filled with small things you can do to cheer yourself up – including; watch a sunset, turn music on and dance, soak in a warm bath, and bake your favourite dessert. It’s a smart looking journal, too – made from faux leather.
Pros: Helps you to prioritise your wellness.
Cons: You’ll need to buy another in six months.
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Why we love it: Keeping things super simple, this bestselling Inner-Truth Journal – Okay Fine, I’m Grateful – offers a whole blank page to spill reasons why you’re grateful under the heading; ‘why I’m grateful, more or less’. At the bottom there are four different face emojis (ranging from super smiley to pretty miserable) and you can tick which one most represents ‘today’s gratitude level’. In between the blank pages are quotes from the likes of Stephen Hawkin and Doris Lessing, so if you struggle to think of anything positive, the idea is you can use these quotes as a jumping-off point.
Pros: Simplistic and effective design in a handy pocket-sized format.
Cons: There could be more writing prompts.
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Why we love it: This gratitude journal from Mål, pronounced ‘mo-l’ (which means ‘goal’ in Swedish) feels both sturdy and high-quality thanks to its cotton hardback cover. Each page has helpful prompts, including; ‘3 things to be grateful for’, ‘How I will make today great…’, and ‘My daily affirmation is…’ The idea is that you start each morning by listing three things you feel grateful for – for example, ‘I am thankful I get to do a job I love’ – taking time to appreciate the full emotions linked to each one and then end each day by reflecting on the positive moments that occurred (it also prompts you to write down ‘3 positive things that happened today’ and ‘what will I do tomorrow to make it a better day’). And with undated pages, you won’t feel guilty if you accidentally miss a day.
Pros: High-quality and well-designed, this journal helps you focus on the good.
Cons: Consistent journaling is the key to making this specific gratitude journal really work, but it can be hard to make journaling a daily habit.
