If you keep up your journal for any length of time, it can be a very positive experience to periodically read past entries. You’ll be reminded of events, emotions, and experiences that were positive in your life. You might be inspired to revisit an idea or activity that brought you joy. Baumeister, R. F., & Tice, D. M. (1985). Self-esteem and responses to success and failure: Subsequent performance and intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality, 53, 450–467. So, what are the practical implications of all of this? Through increasing self-awareness, developing self-acceptance, and practicing self-love, we can create a healthy sense of self-worth.

Unlike “dear diary” journaling, positivity journaling doesn’t require a significant chunk of time to complete. With this type of journaling, consistency is more important than the amount of time you set aside. So if you only have ten minutes each day, that’s okay. If you have longer, that’s fine too. Keep your gratitude journal by your nightstand so you will see it before going to sleep and remember to jot down what you are thankful for. Your journal may even become a symbol of gratitude so that when you just look at it, you will feel a sense of appreciation.Dear future self, the best thing that happened this year so far is that I launched my business! I can’t believe I actually did it, but after a year of planning, I finally flipped the switch. It’s a ton of work, but so worth it for the fulfillment I feel. I love seeing the look on peoples’ faces when they find the right wedding dress or suit for their big day. I get so much joy from running this little bridal boutique!

Rowe, M. (2012). A longitudinal investigation of the role of quantity and quality of child-directed speech in vocabulary development. Child Development, 83(5), 1762–1774.

Final Tips for Keeping a Positivity Journal

There isn’t only one type of journaling; instead, there are multiple formats that you can follow. Regardless of the format that you follow, you must take the time to journal regularly and meaningfully. The journal is your personal expression of your feelings and thoughts.

While extensive literature shows the connection between physical activity and physical health, the literature is scant examining the connection between physical activity and mental health and flourishing. In a longitudinal study of US adults (n=5,789), Leibow et al. ( Citation2021) reported a bidirectional association between mental health and physical activity. The authors concluded that physical activity could improve mental health and those who had better mood and psychosocial functioning were more likely to improve their physical activity levels over time. Waters, L., & Stokes, H. (2015). Positive education for school leaders: Exploring the effects of emotion-gratitude and action-gratitude. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 32, 1-22.We can make affirmations in areas we value and then will act or behave in ways that are consistent with that value. In fact, brain scan images have shown that specific neural pathways strengthen when individuals practice self-affirmations (Cascio et al., 2015). Here we provide a list of daily prompts that you can use for your journal. These prompts are not necessarily focused on gratitude but include other positive experiences. These prompts were inspired by Patel (2015). Despite the ease of implementing mindfulness, like any new habit, it can be overwhelming for beginners. Where should you start? Should you implement a daily meditation session, mindful eating, mindful exercise, or mindful walking? The answer is you should start small. Incidentally, introducing the concept of positive journaling to family members can be very worthwhile too. It’s something I’ve started to do with Pixie – and I cannot overstate the wonderful influence it’s having on her.