how gratitude journals work

There’s a lot of hype around gratitude. Hashtag, blessed, amiright?! And if you’ve read about How to Write in your Gratitude Journal for Manifestation, then you know I have a lot of tips and ideas around this idea. But despite the trendiness, you might be wondering, “Do gratitude journals work” – like really?!” And if so, how is that even possible? Let’s talk about the science behind what’s happening when you write in your gratitude journal and start manifesting miracles!

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how gratitude journals work

Do Gratitude Journals Work – YES!

Okay, so we know there must be an actual science behind the how of gratitude journaling. After all, there have been countless studies proving that implementing a gratitude practice can improve your life. For example, according to Positivepsychology.com, becoming more grateful can help you:

  • increase happiness and boost your mood
  • create more satisfaction in your life
  • help you become less materialistic
  • help your physical health
  • give you better sleep
  • make you less fatigued
  • lower levels of cellular inflammation
  • create greater resiliency
  • encourage the development of patience, humility, and wisdom
GRATITUDE HELPS YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE LIFE YOU ALREADY HAVE

But like, how exactly does it work? Is it all woo woo? Or is there an actual science behind it? There are so many books that teach us about gratitude, which could help you deep dive on this subject. For example, one of my all time favorites is a book called, Thank and Grow Rich, by Pam Grout. And if you want to see even more related books, you might also want to check out my blog about Books for The Spiritually Curious.

But if you want the quick and dirty breakdown of what’s REALLY happening behind the scenes when you write in your gratitude journal, I’m going to answer the question of Do Gratitude Journals Work right here?

Short answer? YES!

Manifesting Gratitude Miracles

You’ve probably heard the quote, “It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude, it’s gratitude that brings us happiness.” And this is absolutely 100% true. If you’ve read about how gratitude changed my life, then you already know that I am walking, talking, and living proof that gratitude absolutely works! That’s because gratitude turns what we ALREADY have into enough. However, on top of bringing us happiness, it can literally help you manifest more miracles into your life with ABSOLUTE certainty?

Let me tell you how.

Your Brain Thinks Your A Failure (Well, kinda, but not really)…

Let me ask you this. Have you ever failed to achieve a goal in your life? Chances are you have. Well, guess what? Your brain remembers that. And being that our brains want to keep us nice and safe, they only encourage us to go after the goals we’re more likely to achieve, instead of the things that we might fail at.

You see, our brains use stories, experiences and beliefs to tell us what’s possible for us in life. These are our unconscious beliefs. Learn how to recognize your unconscious beliefs. And because our goals and dreams are SO FAR from where we are right now, and what we’re comfortable with, our brain is like…”Oh HELL no lady! You can’t do that!” This is why you feel so foolish those first few days or even weeks when you write in your gratitude journal giving thanks for things you haven’t yet acheived.

Do Gratitude Journals Work: The Ultimate Secret

But here’s the biggest secret you must know about your brain! Your brain doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined. So, what does that mean? It means that, as you write in your gratitude journal, giving thanks for the things you haven’t yet achieved, your brain doesn’t know the difference between the things you’ve actually achieved, and the things you are trying to manifest.

It starts to see the things you are trying to manifest as actual experiences. Therefore, the things that you are writing about become more familiar and more comfortable. Because of this, your brain begins to press pause on that old track it was playing before. Instead of doubting that you can reach those goals, it starts to think these ideas are attainable, since, apparently, you’ve already achieved them! Isn’t that so tricky!?

Now Your Brain Goes to Work

You’ve just tricked your brain into thinking you can do EXACTLY what you’ve always wanted! What are you going to do now!? If you answered, “Disneyland”, I appreciate that you get my humor. But here’s the thing, you’ve done the hard work. Now you can sit back and relax as your brain starts to do the hard work for you.

You see, your subconscious mind then goes to work showing you ideas, thoughts, emotions, and opportunities that are associated with these new ideas you’ve been feeding it. Prior to this moment, you’re brain wasn’t really paying attention to anything associated because it didn’t know it was possible for you. Now that it does, you will start to see and notice things you never noticed before!

Do Gratitude Journals Work? A Real World Example

Let me give you a good example of how this showed up in my life. Take for example, when I first started writing in my gratitude journal about the goal of getting three sales per day selling my party decorations. Back then, three sales per day on my Etsy shop or my website seemed like a HUGE feat! But as I write this, I just got my third sale of the day already! And it’s only 9 AM! It’s no longer a miracle in my life. It’s just a normal, every day occurrence. That’s why I am so passionate about this, and why I want to share this information so you can do the same!

So what happened? Well, I basically changed my beliefs around what was possible for me. I convinced my subconscious mind that I CAN DO THIS! Because my mind kept hearing that I was thankful for my three sales per day, it started to show me new decoration ideas. It brought my attention to creative business coaches, learning opportunities, and courses that taught me everything I needed to know about selling online.

These are things that I never would have even picked up on, had I not be so focused on the end goal using my gratitude journal. Make sense? You can read more about how a Daily Gratitude Practice changed my life.

So Now We Know How They Work! Here’s What to Do Next

So, what do you do in order to stop asking, “Do Gratitude Journals Work?” and start manifesting miracles?! START journaling of course! If you need help, I have a few resources for you. First, read about How to Start a Daily Gratitude Practice. Then, start journaling! You are welcome to use this free gratitude worksheet that might help you get started. Lastly, connect with me on Instagram and tell me how it’s going for you! I would love to hear what you’ve manifested, or what you’re working toward. Happy Journaling!

Start Celebrating Life

Lastly, thank you so much for taking the time to read about a great question you might have – Do Gratitude Journals Work?! I hope this gives you some ideas about what the brain science is behind writing in your gratitude journal and why I highly recommend it! I love to help you celebrate life through party decorations and personal development! But above all, I’d love to connect with you. Reach out to me on Instagram and let’s chat. As mentioned, you can also get started on celebrating your life with your FREE gratitude journal printable or by subscribing to my podcast, The Celebration Effect Podcast! I can’t wait to connect with you more.

xox

Lindsay