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I remember spending my teenage years complaining in tears in my diary about the things I didn’t have. After I stopped crying, I started comforting myself by writing about the things I was grateful for, and then I would feel so much better.
Looking back, I now realise that my diary was my gratitude journal.
These days, what I live by is simple: appreciate everything, because it might not be here tomorrow. These 50 prompts help me practise that.
Table of Contents
What is gratitude?
Gratitude is about seeing and appreciating the most important things in life, no matter how small. It’s about shifting our mindset towards positive thinking.
Our minds tend to look for the negative first, which can add to our worries and stress. Writing down what you’re grateful for each day is a good way to counter that.
Why keep a gratitude journal?
Think of a gratitude journal as your friendly daily reminder to stay grounded and appreciate the good things in your life.
It also has some research behind it. In one well-known study, people who wrote down things they were grateful for reported more positive moods and more optimism than people who wrote about daily hassles, and they slept better. The results weren’t consistent across measures, but the effect on mood was the clearest.
There are various types of gratitude journals, and most come with prompts to help you along the way. If you’d like a ready-made one, this is the one I’d point you to:
What are gratitude journal prompts?
Gratitude journal prompts are questions or statements that guide what you write. If you sit down with a blank page and don’t know where to start, a prompt gives you somewhere to begin.
These 50 prompts are gentle nudges to look at the bright side and notice what’s already good in your life.
How to use them
Pick one prompt a day. Not five. One prompt and two or three honest sentences is enough.
Be specific. “My sister called when I was having a bad day” says more than “my family.”
Read it as if it might not be here tomorrow. That’s how I try to answer them. It makes you notice things you’d normally rush past.
Skip the ones that don’t fit your life. Not every prompt will apply, and that’s fine.
For example, prompt 3: If you could thank someone, who would it be and why? My mom. I am who I am because of her.
Gratitude Journal Prompts for the People in Your Life
Start with the people. It’s easy to take the ones closest to us for granted.
- Who in your life has always been there for you, and how has their support helped you?
- What kind gesture from a stranger did you appreciate?
- If you could thank someone, who would it be and why?
- Write down five things you appreciate about your friends.
- Give three reasons you appreciate your family or the people who raised you.
- What’s your favourite part of your childhood, and who are you thankful to for it?
- Describe a memory with a childhood friend that you’re grateful for.
- Describe a moment when you helped someone in need, and how you felt afterwards.
- Describe a moment you made someone laugh or smile, and how it made you feel.
- What do you appreciate most about the person you feel closest to right now?
Gratitude Journal Prompts for Everyday Life
Small things count too. These are for the ordinary pleasures that fill most of your days.
- What small thing are you looking forward to today?
- What’s your favourite meal, and how do you feel when you eat it?
- Which item of clothing do you love to wear, and how do you feel in it?
- What are three favourite things in your home, and why do they matter to you?
- What do you love about the area you live in right now?
- Describe how you feel when you finally get home at the end of the day.
- What’s your favourite dessert, and how do you feel when you have it?
- What item did you buy that you’re grateful for?
- What hobby do you love the most, and why?
- Which holiday trip are you grateful you went on?
Gratitude Journal Prompts for Nature and the Senses
You don’t need anything big to feel grateful. Sometimes it’s a smell, a song or a season.
- What do you enjoy most about being in nature?
- Describe your favourite season and how you feel during it.
- Describe your favourite scent and how it makes you feel.
- What’s your favourite sound, and where do you usually hear it?
- What’s your favourite colour, and why?
- What’s your favourite animal, and why?
- Which song brings back happy memories, and what do you remember when you hear it?
- Describe a book you’re grateful to have read.
Gratitude Journal Prompts for Yourself
It’s easy to be thankful for everyone else and forget yourself. These turn the gratitude inward.
- What personality trait do you most admire about yourself?
- Which part of your body do you appreciate, and why?
- What are you most proud of, and why?
- What’s your biggest accomplishment so far?
- What do you enjoy most about being the age you are right now?
- Think of an argument where you were glad you didn’t overreact. What helped you stay calm?
- Describe a silly moment when you made yourself smile or laugh.
- What’s something you have now that you didn’t have three years ago?
Gratitude Journal Prompts for Hard Times
Not everything you’re grateful for felt good at the time. These look at harder moments and what came out of them. Skip any that feel too heavy today.
- What tough situation did you get through, and what did you learn about yourself?
- What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from a mistake?
- What setback ended up leading you somewhere better?
- Who looked after you when you weren’t well, and how did they help?
- Write five reasons you’re grateful to be alive today.
- Describe a moment when you felt at peace or closer to something bigger than yourself.
- When was the last time you laughed until you cried?
Gratitude Journal Prompts for Today
Short on time? Pick one of these. They keep it to today.
- Reflecting on today, what do you appreciate the most about it?
- What positive thing happened to you today?
- Which family tradition are you grateful for?
- List three moments in your life you will never regret.
- What do you have today that you would miss if it were gone tomorrow?
- What do you enjoy about how you spend your days, whether that’s work, study, or something else?
- Which ordinary daily routine are you grateful for?
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