11 Best Gratitude Journals That Let You Customize Your Daily Practice
Just a few minutes a day is all it takes for a clearer mind and more positive outlook.
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Getting your thoughts down on a page may sound simple, but you can potentially gain a lot of mental-health benefits by practicing it regularly. Journals are great stress-reduction tools, and they're recommended by many therapists for helping to make sense of your thoughts and feelings. Gratitude journals take things a step further by focusing on mindfulness, reflection, and yes, counting your blessings. Don’t know where to start? As Dr. Bryan E. Robinson, author and psychotherapist tells Best Products, “"Ask not how life is treating you. Ask how you are treating life." That mindset shift is all you need to begin practicing gratitude.
But if it still feels intimidating, picking up a gratitude journal is a great place to start. A dedicated gratitude journal with fill-in prompts can make sticking to the practice even easier.
The Best Gratitude Journals
- Best Overall: The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: Give Thanks, Practice Positivity, Find Joy
- Best For A.M. and P.M. Check-Ins: Papier Little Daily Thanks Gratitude Journal
- Simplest Format: CreateSpace Good Days Start With Gratitude Journal
- Best For a Meditative Mindset: Mandala Publishing Gratitude: A Day and Night Reflection Journal
- For Gratitude on the Go: Clever Fox Undated Planner
Why Gratitude Journaling Is Important
Gratitude journals are, in part, geared toward cultivating a reflective and more resilient mindset toward the experiences of our day-to-day lives. Because humans tend to have a strong negativity bias that makes us focus on the bad, a gratitude journal can help guide you toward reframing events in a neutral or even more positive way. If you struggle with rumination, a gratitude journal can offer an alternate way to process the ups and downs of life.
Because gratitude journals come in all different types and formats, we’ve rounded up a few here and explained how they work so you can choose the one that’s best for you. Whether you want to dive deep into your psyche with reflections and words of affirmation, or just want to spend less than 5 minutes getting your thoughts out, one of these 11 journals will be a great guides for you.
Brittany Leitner is a journalist and poet based in New York City and originally from San Antonio, Texas. She was previously the senior lifestyle editor at Elite Daily and the managing editor at The Dr. Oz Show. Her work in digital journalism earned her a Digital Health Award in 2019, and her writing has been published in Bustle, Cosmopolitan, Oprah Daily, Shape, and elsewhere. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Palette Poetry, Gasher, Cutthroat, and New York Quarterly.
Melanie Yates is the senior service editor of Best Products, where she writes and reports pieces pertaining to the etiquette, dilemmas, and how-tos of gift-giving for different occasions. Previously, she was the site's senior home editor, covering all things decor- and bedding-related since 2015. Her digital byline can also be found on Bustle, House Beautiful, and Elle Decor. A longtime classical-music enthusiast, Melanie spends her off-hours enjoying performances big and small across New York City.
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