Powerful Gratitude Journal Prompts for When Life Is Hard

So no one told you life was gonna be this way. ::CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP:: Let’s face it. Life can suck sometimes. And if you’ve read about How to Write in Your Gratitude Journal for Manifestation, you know that gratitude can help you feel better in stressful times. So, when it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month or even your year… here are some Powerful Gratitude Journal Prompts for When Life is Hard.

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My Worst Year Ever

Having a hard time? I can relate! This year has been the worst year of my life. Literally. I have never said that before, so I know it’s the truth. (I am laughing while I write this, because it’s almost comical!) Something tells me your year has sucked too though, huh? If you’re reading this in the future, please tell me that 2020 is over and we are in a better place! Here’s what my year looked like.

January 2020

In January, my mom got a scan back that her breast cancer had spread to…well, everywhere. They literally used the phrase “it lit up like a Christmas tree”.

March 2020

In March, we got the word (just as you did!) that a pandemic was sweeping the world and they were shutting down everything. Simultaneously, my mom’s cancer spread to her spine and paralyzed her from the waste down. While everyone else was hunkering down, my sisters and I flew out to Arizona to try to figure out how in the hell we were going to get all the things my mom would need as a paraplegic.

April 2020

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in April my husband and I made an offer on our, what I then thought was our dream home. We thought, “This pandemic isn’t crazy enough! Let’s move!” haha. Four days into getting into escrow with a buyer on our house, my husband lost his job. We were in a real pickle and ended up having to hire an attorney to settle with the buyers and fork over a LOT of money – always a dream when you’ve just lost your job.

May 2020

In May, I got a cease and desist from a company that will remain unnamed with copyright infringement allegations. I had no idea I was infringing on their property, but not knowing doesn’t actually mean anything to the law. I can’t technically go into the details of this, but I will tell you this. If you sell on Etsy like I do, don’t sell things from popular brands. Stick to the generic clipart. Mmmkay?

June – November 2020

The world remained locked down and my sales for my party decorations didn’t do as well as I’d hoped. People in my family died of suicide. A pretty emotionally charged election drew people apart. I lost followers, friends, and even family members for speaking my truth on social media. It was dark.

December 2020

UPDATE: My mom passed just a few days ago, as I’m writing this, and the grief has hit me like a ton of bricks. Anyone who’s ever lost someone can relate, I’m sure. It comes and goes in waves. One minute you’re fine. The next you’re breaking down. It’s such a surreal experience. I honestly don’t have any more words right now to describe it. Maybe one day I’ll come back and write a blog about what I’ve learned from the entire experience. I know there’s a silver lining there somewhere. It just might take me a while to find it.

Needless to say, 2020 was not a good year.

Life Can Be Hard. Here’s How a Gratitude Journal Can Help

So why am I telling you all this? I usually don’t lead with negative, doom and gloom stories. I am such a positive person usually. But I can’t lie. This was a HARD YEAR. (And it’s not over! Dear God.) And like I said, it’s probably been hard for you too! So how do we deal, when we’re having a hard time? When the cards seem stacked against us?

As Katy Perry says, “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?” And while we can’t technically start again…I mean, why would we ever want to relive this year? We can implement practices that help keep us grounded during times of hardship.

Enter gratitude journaling.

How Powerful Gratitude Journal Prompts for When Life is Hard Helped Me Pull Through

If you’ve read my blog about How a Daily Gratitude Practice Changed My Life, then you know I have been through depression before. And it’s what kickstarted my favorite habit – writing in my gratitude journal.

But this year forced me write like I’d never written before. I would sit down at all times of the day. Whenever I was stressed. When the anger would rise up. Whenever I found myself spinning out of control. I would write. Sure it didn’t fix the problem. Sometimes it didn’t even help me feel better in the moment. But now that I’ve been through it, I look back and feel proud of myself that I funneled my feelings into something healthy, instead of something I might regret.

And now I want to share some of the Powerful Gratitude Journal Prompts for When Life is Hard that I used, so that you can get through a hard time too. Don’t worry. I won’t tell you that “this too shall pass”, because there’s nothing more infuriating when someone tells you that. Amiright? But by passing on these prompts, I hope it will help you pass the time so you can come out on the other side of whatever it is that you’re going through – as the stronger, wiser, and inspiring woman I know you are. So without further ado, here’s some Powerful Gratitude Journal Prompts for When Life is Hard.

Gratitude Journal Prompts When Life is Hard

Powerful Gratitude Journal Prompts for When Life is Hard

  1. What one thing can you learn from this hard time?
  2. Can you identify things or events that you grateful for that, if they hadn’t occurred, this would actually be a much more challenging time than it is?
  3. Name all the things that are going right right now?
  4. What is one strength that you uncovered in yourself from this challenging time?
  5. Be extremely present and recognize you are fine in this moment.
  6. Where is one place you can go to clear your mind and feel good?
  7. What’s one thing you are looking forward to when this challenging time is over?
  8. What person or people have stuck by you and helped you cope?
  9. What is something you’ve uncovered about yourself from this situation that you can improve upon.
  10. Write out the details of what it looks like when you have recovered, conquered, or moved on from this situation.

Examples of These Powerful Gratitude Journal Prompts for When Life is Hard

I want to wrap this up with a few examples of how to use these Powerful Gratitude Journal Prompts for When Life is Hard. I know that when you are in a hard situation, it can feel impossible to answer some of these questions. But here’s how I did it. When I went through the hardship of my house, my husband was such an amazing supporter to me. I knew that if I didn’t have him during this process, it would have so been much worse. In terms of dealing with death and dying, although my mom is making her transition to a new place, I know that one day I will find peace. One day, after I have grieved, I will be in a place that doesn’t feel as hard as it does today. I can feel the feelings now, and trust that one day, I will know she is in a better place.

That’s the thing about gratitude. It’s not about not feeling the feelings that you have today. You absolutely have to feel it to heal it. But gratitude gives you hope. It restores your faith, when faith is the only thing you have left to hold. Having faith means believing in something we can’t see yet. And gratitude gives us hope that there’s something beyond this. That there’s a silver lining somewhere. It might take you and me a while to find it, but I know we will.

Related Articles

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What I Manifested From The Worst Year Ever

Let’s Connect

Lastly, thank you so much for taking the time to read about Powerful Gratitude Journal Prompts for When Life is Hard! I hope this gives you some ideas about what to write about in your gratitude journal when live is difficult! 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. 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