Gratitude Journal for Depression Examples
All of us feel down or depressed sometimes. When we feel these emotions, we think about it over and over again. Also, we forget what we have and how small is our sadness or problem compared to it. That is why a gratitude journal is amazing free therapy for people with mild depression. This method might help people with serve one too. But if you are dealing with it, I strongly suggest you see a therapist or psychologist.
When you are thinking about a gratitude journal, you might think about a car, a house, or a good family. But there are some things that we take for granted while it is an impossible dream for millions or billions of people in the world. In this article, I will write about big things that we should be grateful for to overcome depression.
Being Smart
Are you reading this article because of your sadness and mild depression? This means you acknowledge that your problem needs a fix, and a gratitude journal might be the one you are looking for. Many people don’t try to find a solution and they drink alcohol to forget it without any second thought.
Another sign of being smart is facing depression without any use of drugs or alcohol. I suggest you write about other signs of being smart in yourself as the first step of a gratitude journal.
Being INTJ
Nah, I was kidding! No matter what MBTI type you are, you have tried to find your type and know yourself and other people better than before. By doing this, your goal is to be a better and more understanding person in a world full of selfish people and people who don’t want to accept that there are many people out there completely opposite of what they are. In this section, I suggest you write about the characteristics that you are grateful for.
Lucky Times
Try to find your lucky times in your life. For example, I got accepted into my city’ best university as the last person and I am always grateful for it. If it had not happened, I had to pay tuition for it. Another example is when I had a meeting with someone and he said the thing I wanted honestly. Honest people are rare these days and I should say it was a gift from god.
Failures
Yeah, I agree failures are sad events. But they built what and where we are now. In other words, failures are necessary for success. If you read successful people’s stories, you will see they failed more than you expected. Write about failures that made you a better and more successful person.
For example, I failed to find the job I wanted and my current job is my dream job. My dream job is writing! The exciting job that helps me to get drowned in another world and never feel how time passes.
You Can Do What You Want
You can read my article and this is the smallest example for a gratitude journal. People in the past and even some people in some parts of this big world can’t do even simple things. For example, let me share a story that I will remember until my death.
There was a teenage girl in a rural area. The only thing she wanted to do was going school and becoming a painter. She only wanted to draw beautiful moons with a black pencil. She got killed to be a ghost and kill the enemies of a rich family. She never aged as a ghost and drew moons on walls for centuries. This is the story of the ghost in the Revenant TV series.
Access to Internet
You guys keep forgetting that there are countries like North Korea, Iran, and China in the world. In these countries, people of these countries can’t access what you open in 1 second without using VPNs and selecting between a bad VPN and the worst VPN. You will get executed in North Korea if you just even try to say “Internet”.
Power of Forgetting
Studies show that being sad and depressed as effects of sad events slowly decrease over time. Just one year after a sad event, you barely remember it and might laugh at it. Forgetting and other small similar things like forgiving, and remembering is what we should always be grateful of.
I can write about this gift like this in my gratitude journal: Did you hear that goldfishes have a 3-second memory? I know it is a myth, but I love calling myself a goldfish. I can forget everything really fast and start to live in the present and sometimes in the future. Most people aren’t like me so this power of forgetting seems really amazing to me. I should be thankful for having this kind of talent but most of the time, I forget!
Health
You might say health is a very basic thing. But remember it is the most important thing you must be grateful for. If you are healthy, probably you don’t know how much health is important.
Pain, medications, and doctors are the words related to an unhealthy person. But in my opinion, losing time is the most related word to it. Because when you are sick, you can’t use the time the way you want. Also when your family or friends are sick, you can’t spend happy times with them and they might become bothersome for you.
Even a small disease can affect your happiness and turn your life into a big nightmare. For example, I have diabetes. I can’t eat what I want and when I eat something sweet, I am worried about it. So I can’t truly enjoy eating it. So be thankful for not being a diabetic person!
Power of Writing
The last thing that I want to explain about it is the power of writing. Most people on Medium are writers so they can relate. The way I can write without thinking and words are coming into my mind like a piece of cake is so amazing! This is a very healing method for my depression.
50 Examples for Gratitude Journal
I suggest you to add these to your gratitude journal and explain about them:
1. Family
2. Friends
3. Freedom
4. Peace
5. Love
6. Education
7. Music
8. Sunset
9. Sunrise
10. Moon
11. Fresh air
12. Clean water
13. Delicious food
14. Home
15. Colors
16. Books
17. Dreams
18. Hope
19. Kindness of strangers
20. Memories
21. Second chances
22. Seasons
23. Weekends
24. New beginnings
25. The sound of the ocean
26. Blue Mountains
27. Cats
28. Teachers
29. Elderly wisdom
30. Modern conveniences
31. Farmers
32. Scientists
33. Healthcare workers
34. History
35. Present moment
36. Games
37. Empathy
38. Communication
39. Languages
40. Diversity of life
41. Rain
42. Tall trees
43. White snow
44. Touch of loved one
45. Seeing smiles
46. Feeling the sun
47. Being able to help others
48. Unity
49. Creativity
50. Courage
Last Words
Remember everything even depression will pass and what is left for you is the present and the future. Don’t live in the past and try to be grateful for what you have and what you can achieve. Try to find more gratitude journal ideas and let me know them too! Thank you for reading my article until the last word. I wish you a life full of gratitude and without any depression and sadness.
