Contentment can sometimes be hard to achieve. We like to think of ourselves as happy people. But more often than not, our mental habits hold us back from experiencing the inner life that we all want.
One problem is our untamed desire to always have more. Whenever we feel bad in life, it’s usually because we lack something. We want more time, money, sex, and satisfying relationships. But these things never seem to come.
The trick here is to take a step back and think about what you have that you can already be grateful for. Life will never deliver all of the things that you want. But it will provide you with some sweetness – even if that is just the experience of being alive itself.
In this post, we take a look at some of the reasons you badly need a gratitude journal. In the past, people used pen and paper, but today, you can use a free API and create a digital version.
It Cuts Stress From Your Life
Constantly wanting more is a stressful experience. You always feel like you are lacking something that you can’t have.
Journaling about all the things that make you grateful, though, changes your mental dynamic. Instead of worrying about what you don’t have, you focus more on the great things that you have. Usually, this helps to generate feelings of contentment. All of a sudden, you’re much happier with your life and what it throws at you. And that can be all you need to reduce stress.
It Makes You Happier
There’s another positive byproduct of gratitude journaling: there’s ample evidence that it makes people happier. Again, the reasons are similar to before. When you are happy with what you have, that itch to have more goes away. You simply enjoy your life as it unfolds, without endlessly worrying about the things that you don’t have.
Being grateful is also a positive experience in itself. It can feel good to reflect on all the positive things in your life instead of fixating on the negatives.
It Makes It Easier To Sleep
A lot of people write their thoughts in gratitude journals before they sleep. There’s a good reason for this: people’s minds tend to be most active at night. Simple gratitude practice helps to calm emotions and prepare the body for rest. Being content with what you have is a great way to relax.
It Improves Your Relationships With Others
When you fill your life with gratitude, it dramatically improves your relationships with others. You become more positive and you find that it spills out into all areas of your life. All of a sudden, people want to be around you. This can help assist your success in many aspects of life, including family, work, and relationships.
It Makes You Feel Better About Yourself
Lastly, gratitude also makes you feel better about who you are as a person. Many people feel bad that they aren’t the richest or the smartest. But that’s okay when you are happy with what you have. If you can achieve genuine contentment, your life will unfold far more positively.
