Create a Gratitude Art Journal

I’ve been thinking lately about why we focus so much on gratitude every November when we should be practicing gratitude every day of the year. Like any other habit, it can be hard to remember to make gratitude part of a daily ritual, especially when we get busy or when things aren’t going our way.

Having a whole month of the year focused on gratitude is a great thing for a few different reasons. 

1. I believe the collective focus on gratitude helps lift all of us up. 
2. I know that if you focus on gratitude for a whole month, you will create a new habit that will support you for the rest of the year too. 
3. The world needs more positive energy and gratitude right now and I want to contribute to that in any small way that I can.

I’m not alone in thinking that focusing on daily gratitude has both tangible and intangible benefits. Experts in psychology have proven that expressing gratitude positively impacts your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Here are a few of the many benefits! 

Tangible Benefits of a Gratitude Practice:

• Stress Reduction: Gratitude practices, such as keeping a gratitude journal, can help reduce stress, lower cortisol levels, and decrease inflammation, which may lead to better overall health.
• Better Sleep: Expressing gratitude before bedtime can improve sleep quality and duration, contributing to enhanced physical health.
• Better coping skills: Gratitude practices can serve as a coping mechanism during challenging seasons like the holidays!

Intangible Benefits:

Happiness Boost: Gratitude can boost feelings of happiness, contentment, and satisfaction, which are vital for your emotional well-being.

• Reduced Depression and Anxiety: Focusing on gratitude has been proven to lessen symptoms of depression and anxiety,
• Heightened Self-Awareness: Daily gratitude can lead to increased self-reflection and self-awareness, helping you better understand yourself and your current needs.
• Shift in Perspective: Gratitude practices encourage a shift in perspective, helping you focus on the positives and opportunities in your life, even during challenging times.
• Boosted Self-Confidence: Recognizing and appreciating your accomplishments and positive qualities through gratitude can boost self-esteem and self-confidence.

This all sounds great in theory, right!?

What is a gratitude practice and how can you get started?

1. It can be as simple as saying what you are grateful for each night at the dinner table with your family or yourself.
2. Write a list of what you are grateful for in a journal before you go to bed each night or as part of your morning routine.
3. Or do what I do and make it an artful practice of creative play with a gratitude journal! 

I  love writing and I love making art! Combining those two together into a Gratitude Art Journal amplifies the practice for me and keeps me engaged.

I have a free gift you! (Two free gifts actually)

All new for 2023, we have a new Gratitude Journal with 30 prompts. If you love to write, print it out and scribble away. Thanks to my son Conner Dobson for the sweet art nouveau design of this year’s journal.

If you love to write and you love art journaling, join me this month on YouTube for my free Gratitude Art Journal series.

You can join me live or catch the replays here: https://www.youtube.com/@drminetteriordan

Be sure to subscribe to my channel to get notified when I do go live. 

I have so much to be grateful for and know that I personally need to dive deeply into this practice this month. I look forward to sharing my journey with you.