When life gets tough, it’s easy to forget what we have that’s going right. Relationships end, mental health issues rise, or sometimes you lose perspective, but with a gratitude list you have that a-ha moment over and over again to remember that maybe things are bad but they’re not as bad as they could be. We’ve all faced dark hours, where we rapidly lose hope, but with a daily gratitude journal or even a list on a scribbled piece of paper, we can regain our happiness. In this article, we’re going to dive into the gratitude list benefits, what to put in your gratitude journal, and our ultimate gratitude list to give you some ideas to get started.
What is a Gratitude List?
A gratitude list is a compilation of things that you feel grateful for. It’s important to create one each day to remember to look at the positive side of things.
A gratitude list helps people with anxiety, depression, or any struggle in life remember to never lose hope. Things don’t always go as planned in life but even on your darkest days, there’s always something to be grateful for.
Gratitude List Benefits
Why bother with a gratitude list? A gratitude list gives you material to work from with a regular gratitude practice. As you might guess, of the benefits of gratitude, gratitude helps improve mental health and life satisfaction. But here’s what a gratitude life offers your life and the benefits it provides.
1. It gives you perspective
Life’s tough. Let’s not sugar coat it. Some moments will completely drain your energy leaving you feeling like you’ve got nothing. But do you really have nothing? Be honest. You know that’s not the case. Your heart can have the biggest hole in it, your anxiety could eat you up inside, but you’ve still got so many great things in your life. The gratitude list doesn’t allow your mind to get completely clouded by a negative event. It helps you remember that you don’t only have challenges in your life, you also have many things to be grateful for.
2. It orients you
By creating a gratitude list, you’ll regularly see what type of things you’re grateful for. People always dream about money or success but when they actually write down the things they’re grateful for money and success rarely come up. By practicing gratitude, you might realize you value different things than you realized. It can help you understand that maybe you actually want a secondary thing than what you think you want. For example, maybe you think you want money but gratitude makes you realize what you really want is a break from all work and no play. And by realizing what you actually want through practicing gratitude you realize the solution might be easier than expected.
3. It gives you hope
When your mental health starts to deteriorate, you start to lose hope. The benefit of a gratitude list is that it can help bring hope back. Maybe you feel like you aren’t safe but you realize you’ve got working arms and legs. So instead you sign-up for a self-defense class. Or maybe someone you love died and the hole in your heart gets bigger each day without them. But you remember that you still have a ton of friends and family that you love just as much who will stand by you. If you hit rock bottom, a gratitude list might help you realize you have what you need to climb back out.
4. It reduces stress
Our minds are powerful. Feed is negativity and sadness and that’s all you’ll ever think about. Think about gratitude and positivity and you’ll feel much happier. Creating a gratitude list helps you focus on the upside to life. We’ll all face challenges and roadblocks but by thinking about things that are still going well for us it helps reduce stress. The stress might not completely go away as some challenges are greater than others. But it’s important to help lower your heart rate, take a few deep breaths and express what you’re grateful for.
5. Your gentle reminder
Creating a gratitude list is a gentle reminder of the things you’ve got going for you. It’s important to not only express gratitude but take advantage of what you have. If you’ve got legs, go for a run. If you’ve got lips, flash that big smile or blow that sweet kiss. If you have a loving family, spend more time with them. If you have amazing friends, schedule time to chat with them. Don’t let whatever is going wrong in your life deter you from experiencing the joys of what you still have.
When to Use a Gratitude List
Part of morning gratitude routine
If you already have an established morning routine, you can have a morning gratitude list that you reflect on, pull ideas from, and look through. This way, reminding yourself of things to be grateful for is easier than forcing yourself when you’re not in the mood. It will help invoke more positive emotions in the morning, and get you on to a good start to your day.
When going through a tough time in life
Gratitude is most useful when you’re going through a tough time in your life such as when you lose someone or you’re going through a change. Feeling grateful is easy when you have a number of things you can reflect on from a gratitude list. It will give you perspective, remind you of the things you may forget about, and allow you to move to a positive mindset.
When writing in a gratitude journal
Sometimes we draw a blank when we’re reflecting and writing in a gratitude journal. A gratitude list gives you a large number of things to remind yourself to practice gratitude for and express gratitude towards. Even if you’ve been reflecting in a journal up until this point, it doesn’t hurt to start a new gratitude journal and use your gratitude list to get a fresh start to your writing routine. You can even create multiple gratitude lists based on the time of day, the season of the year, or when you’re feeling a certain way.
What to Put in Your Gratitude Journal
Whether you need to create a gratitude list template or trying to figure out what to put in your gratitude journal, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Things You’re Grateful For
Compile a list of things you’re grateful for. Try to think of between 5-10 things each day. Maybe you change the ideas each day or you just quietly sit and express gratitude for the things you still have going well for you. You can steal some gratitude list ideas below or come up with some of your own to make it more personal for you.
2. People You’re Grateful For
Express gratitude for a few of the people you’re grateful for. Think of someone who’s had a positive impact in your life, someone who pushes or challenges you, a stranger who showed kindness, yourself, and the world. Send positive vibes to everyone out there who may be suffering or struggling. But also express gratitude for people who are doing well.
3. Highlight Of Your Day
If you write in your gratitude journal in the evening, think of the highlight of your day. What was the best moment in your day today? By doing this each day, you’ll create a collection of positive memories to look back on. A year from now, you can browse through all your daily highlights and recognize patterns of good days to create more of them. You’ll realize that creating a gratitude list helped you gain and hold onto happy moments longer.
4. Daily Mantra
If you write your gratitude journal in the morning, you might add a daily mantra to repeat throughout the day to help you live mindfully. Focus on one thing you want to improve all day. For example, if you find you’re always angry at work. Your daily mantra might be “May I be peaceful and positive to those around me today.” And when you find yourself at work getting angry, you’ll repeat that mantra and focus on changing your behavior to change the outcome of your interactions.
Gratitude List: 200+ Things to Be Grateful For
- Family who loves you
- Friends you relate to
- Significant other who reminds you you’re not alone
- Eyes that allow you to see the world’s beauty
- Ears that allow you to listen to music
- Nose that allows you to smell
- Arms that allow you to hold a newborn baby
- Legs that give you the freedom to move
- Mouth that lets you taste delicious food
- Ability to talk
- Friendly neighbors who smile at you
- Morning coffee for jolting you awake
- Libraries with endless books allowing you to learn
- Music that helps you feel
- Mother nature’s beauty
- Your lungs which are working hard as you read this
- Today because you’ve been given it
- Art that mesmerizes you
- The comfort of your own home
- Access to food
- Having a steady pay check
- Paying bills on time
- Weekends that give you more time to spend on life
- The internet which helps you find what you’re looking for
- Clean water to drink from
- Toilets (as some countries don’t have them)
- A relaxing massage
- A hot shower
- A healthy body
- Your unique personality
- Your kind heart
- Your strength to keep going when things get tough
- Your favorite happy memories
- Belly laughs
- Watching the sunset in the evening
- Pets that bring you all the joy
- Kind hearted strangers that show you love
- Doctors who’ve healed you
- An apology from someone whose hurt you
- Forgiveness from someone you hurt
- Birthdays because it’s a day that’s all about you
- The first snowfall in the winter
- Christmas Eve dinner
- Getting another chance to a fresh start on New Years Day
- A sunny day in the outdoors
- Dancing in the rain
- Romantic proposals
- Your happiest moment
- Watching waves crash into boulders
- Getting mail from a friend
- Sleeping in your bed
- Staying up all night talking to an amazing person
- Wishing on a shooting star
- Going to an event you’ve been waiting for for months
- Being on vacation
- Finishing a big project
- Dancing at a wedding
- Family reunions
- A good night’s sleep
- A quiet moment of solitude
- The ability to meditate
- Having a functioning brain
- Being self-aware
- Finding something you’ve lost
- Learning to let go
- All that knowledge stored up in your brain
- Your growth throughout your life
- Your willingness to help others
- A lived-in home
- Your ability to make good decisions
- The fact that you’re still hopeful that things will get better
- The recognition you received on a project
- Silly coworkers who make the day more fun
- The fire burning inside you
- Clean laundry
- The smell of lavender
- Your freedom
- Having things money can’t buy
- Eating your favorite food
- Connecting with others on social media
- Your favorite season
- Your sports team’s winning a game
- The reason you go into work each morning
- Someone holding the door for you
- A friend calling to check-in
- Compliments from strangers
- Surprise gifts
- The ability to improve your life
- Your quirky talents
- Feeling safe
- Activities that turn your brain off
- Being able to read this
- Long weekends
- Comfortable shoes
- Starlit skies
- Rainbows after the storm
- Thank you notes
- Comfy robes
- New adventures
- The world has never been more prosperous
- People have been more accepting of diversity than ever
- No physical pain
- Kind strangers
- A walk in the forest
- Learning something new
- Autumn leaves
- First warm day after a cold winter
- Watching the first snowfall
- Positive comments on posts
- Having that one friend who likes all your social media posts
- Sleeping in
- Quenching hunger
- Finding money in your pocket
- Finding a toilet when you really need to go
- Getting the last parking spot
- A driver letting you pass in front of them
- People who donate blood
- Having healthy family and friends
- Watching the success of a friend
- Making the final payment on your student loans
- Working from home
- Singing karaoke with friends
- Eating cookie batter from the bowl
- Staying in on a Friday night
- Pursuing your favorite hobby
- The feeling you get when you help someone
- Getting goosebumps
- A first kiss
- The feeling you get when you’ve finally found the one
- Taking medication that actually works
- Finding the answer to your problem
- Getting a good grade on a test
- Buying an outfit that makes you feel confident
- Having electricity
- Sitting after being on your feet all day
- Lunch breaks
- The day you quit something that’s bad for you and didn’t look back
- Amusement parks
- Having a creative outlet
- People who support you
- Receiving Christmas cards
- When your work orders food for everyone
- Seeing a puppy on the street
- The person who mentored you
- Relaxing in a hot tub in the winter
- The feeling of discovering of an amazing new show
- Getting help when you need it
- The freedom to speak your mind
- Positive people
- Watching holiday movies on the couch
- Autocorrect (even if it’s only there to make you laugh with the wrong word)
- Learning a new perspective
- The smell of a new book
- Looking at old photos
- Finding old video footage of someone you miss
- Endorphins flowing through you after a workout
- The moment you find out you’re pregnant after failed attempts
- Someone finally telling you the truth
- The fun of planning a vacation or a wedding
- Finding equanimity
- A clean house
- Quality time with grandparents
- Scented candles
- Holiday decorations
- The smell of fresh cut grass
- Facing your fears
- Nostalgia
- Working memories
- People who don’t give up
- Clean air
- Days when you look good
- Finishing something ahead of schedule
- Being on a winning team
- Getting positive feedback
- Getting a raise at work
- Doing meaningful work
- Feeling inspired
- A relaxing playlist
- The fact that you were born
- Thanksgiving meals
- Street lights
- Failed relationships which brought you closer to better ones
- Local coffee shop and the people that serve your coffee
- A family member that takes care of or cares for you
- A fancy meal
- Getting through a tough time
- A good belly laugh
- Simple date night with a spouse or loved one
- A deep conversation you recently had
- A bank account
- All the beauty you notice in the simplest things
- Feeling a positive emotion
- Noticing positive changes in life
- A morning routine
- Gaining perspective and experience from negative events
- A good and helpful blog post
- Amazing people you’ve encountered over the course of your life
- The ability to write things and express yourself
- Enjoying a refreshing glass of water when feeling thirsty
- Saving money on a good deal
- Having the mental faculties to be grateful
