Gratitude diary.
You have heard about those, haven’t you? I am a stationeries junkie, so I’ve bought a fair share of gratitude journals throughout the years.
You’ll ask me why.
Well, there’s a simple answer - for my mental health.
Studies have shown that expressing gratitude has a positive impact on our well-being. Research has proven people who express gratefulness tend to be healthier, more energetic, and optimistic. They’re also more empathetic and less likely to experience clinical depression. In fact, studies have shown that a single act of thoughtful gratitude can produce an immediate 10% increase in happiness and a 35% reduction in depressive symptoms. (However, these effects fade within three to six months, which emphasises the importance of consistent gratitude practice.)
Today I invite you to kill two birds with one stone: take care of your mental health and practice English.
Keeping a gratitude diary can be a powerful tool for English language learners in several ways as it:
1. Improves Writing Skills
Writing even a few sentences each day helps reinforce grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. However, unlike formal exercises, a diary allows for mistakes without judgment, encouraging experimentation.
2. Expands Vocabulary
You can look up and use new words to express gratitude and work on improving descriptive language.
3. Boosts Confidence & Motivation
Focusing on positive experiences can help reduce language-learning anxiety. Moreover, seeing progress over time (e.g., longer entries, better word choices) will help you build confidence.
Here are some tips that can help you grow the habit:
✔ Start small (3 sentences per day is more than enough).
✔ Use a dictionary/thesaurus.
✔ Review past entries to track progress.
Here is the vocabulary for your first entries:
1. General Gratitude Phrases
- I’m grateful for…
- I’m thankful for…
- I appreciate…
- I feel blessed because…
- I’m happy that…
- I’m lucky to have…
2. Words to Describe Feelings
- Joyful
- Happy
- Content
- Excited
- Proud
- Relieved
- Hopeful
3. Sentence Starters for Reflection
- ”Today, I realised…”
- ”This week, I learned…”
- ”One good thing that happened was…”
- ”I noticed that…”
- ”I’m improving in…”
4. Transition Words for Better Flow
- Because…(”I’m happy because I passed my test.”)
- Especially… (”I’m grateful for my family, especially my mum.”)
- Also… (”I appreciate my teacher, and I also like my classmates.”)
- Even though… (”Even though today was hard, I’m thankful for my friend’s help.”)
5. Advanced Phrases
- ”Looking back, I’m grateful for…”
- ”I’ll always remember…”
- ”What made me smile today was…”
- ”I take for granted… but today I noticed…”
Here is an easy but efficient task to elevate your mood and language proficiency for the following week: dedicate ten minutes before bedtime each night. Get your pen and paper ready to write down three things that went well today. Why did they go well? Although it might feel unusual at the start, keep practicing and you will find it easier. Within a week, you’ll probably be happier and more comfortable expressing your thoughts and emotions.
That’s all there is to it!
Then, off to dreamland!