Gratitude journalling

[Spudcakes]

A few weeks ago, I decided to start gratitude journalling. I'm generally quite a positive person but am often inside my thoughts too much and wanted to get into better habits and recognise what makes me happy/content and do more of those things and less doom scrolling in particular.

I have a terrible habit of starting things with great intentions but never continuing them and then overthinking this and feeling down about it. Lo and behold, that has happened with this. As I've been hit and miss with completing the journal, it feels messy to me and I want to start again - but I know that's ridiculous - I have numerous incomplete/blank notebooks because of this very reason!

Anyway, if anyone can give any ideas for how best to fill in some of these prompts that would be really helpful and might help me complete them without overthinking too much. I've included photos of the pages. The parts causing me to overthink is the 'Today's focus' because I don't want this to become a To do list and the 'How I'll make space for gratitude today' part. The affirmations I find a bit cheesy but I am trying to get into using these and have found some good websites for ideas for these.

If anyone else has the same journal, I'd love to see how you use it and make me get over this perfectionism problem!

Apologies if this is too flippant a post for this group - I couldn't think where to add it so will also add it to chat.

As lovely as the notebook is I personally would also find that too challenging to complete.
I know a few people who do daily gratitudes and swear by them but they are on blank notebooks and the write 3 things, o Iike sun is shining, tea and cake with a friend, daffodils out etc.
Often really small things but something that has made them smile.
I keep thinking of trying it too, but haven't got round to it- having to fill out those categories every day would make me run for the hills- Sorry not helpful!
Maybe you dont need to fill out all categories, just do the bits you want to? Otherwise perfectionism may stop you from starting ( speaking from my own experience!)

Thank you - yes, it does seem that way. I won't use a diary which is already planned out because I have the same issue and prefer to use a blank dotted notebook for the same reason. Gah, I've done it again 😂

Similar to PP I wouldn't do that journal. I can imagine a time when I would have thought it was a good idea but it wouldn't have lasted. Of course it doesn't matter if you don't do it every day!

However if I was going to things like my focus for the day might be, treating myself with kindness, doing something positive after a difficult conversation, something like that.

I use a bullet journal and keep a gratitude page in that. At the end of most days I just write one thing in that. I don't do it every day but it doesn't matter. If you use a blank journal with dotted pages could you do similar?

ScottishBeth that's such a good idea - just to use what I already have 😂💡 I love using my bullet journal and have found that so much more useful since keeping it simple so I don't know why I thought I'd need something new to replace what already works!

Right, I'm going to scrap this, rip out the pages and get rid!!!

That's fab! I love my bullet journal too. Have just been keeping it this year, but still going strong.

I can't do journals like that. What I did for a few years was take a colourful post-it sized paper (like a post-it pad, but not sticky) and write the date and a couple of things I liked about the day/was grateful for on it.Then I folded it up into quarters and put in a glass jar. At the end of the year I would pull them out randomly and read. That way if I missed a day it didn't matter, plus as the jar filled up with colourful paper it actually looked quite nice and motivated me to add a paper that day!