3 Minute Self Love & Daily Gratitude Journal For Busy Moms (incl. free download)
This article contains a free download of a 3 Minute Self Love & Daily Gratitude Journal pdf with prompts for busy moms. You’ll also learn about the science backed benefits of a gratitude journal, easy ways to practice gratitude and self love, and how to get started.
Written by Nadine Stille Life and Career Coach for moms who want to ditch their daily grind and go after what they really want. This is a republished, updated blog based on an earlier version from 2022.
Confession Time! I was a Gratitude Skeptic!
Self Love and being kind to my own mind, I could get on board with, but gratitude was in another league.
I kept hearing that practicing gratitude would make me happier. To me, it sounded nearly too easy, not tangible enough, and maybe even a bit airy-fairy.
But I kept hearing about it.
So, the curious and answer seeking part in me won out, and I started looking into it.
Can’t wait to get your free Daily Gratitude Journal? Get it right now as part of the Nurture Mama bundle.
So, what is Gratitude all about?
While there are a lot of systemic changes that need to happen to better support moms and parents, there are also things that we Mamas have direct influence over right now to make it easier on ourselves.
Practicing gratitude can be seen as one (of many) tools in your busy mom toolbox to feel happier.
On a practical level, this means:
Being thankful for the good things in your life
Journaling about things you’re grateful for
Writing a Thank You note or a gratitude letter
Praying
Reaching out to loved ones and telling them how much they mean to you
Being mindful and intentional about what you are grateful for
I got even more intrigued and started reading up about the science-backed benefits of gratitude.
The benefits of gratitude*
“Over the past 15 years, hundreds of studies have documented the social, physical, and psychological benefits of gratitude. The research suggests these benefits are available to most anyone who practices gratitude, even in the midst of adversity…” (Source)
Gratitude brings us happiness: Practicing gratitude has proven to be one of the most reliable methods for increasing happiness and life satisfaction; it also boosts feelings of optimism, joy, pleasure, enthusiasm, and other positive emotions.
Gratitude is good for our bodies: Studies suggest gratitude strengthens the immune system, lowers blood pressure, reduces symptoms of illness, and makes us less bothered by aches and pains. It also encourages us to exercise more and take better care of our health.
Grateful people sleep better: They get more hours of sleep each night, spend less time awake before falling asleep, and feel more refreshed upon awakening.
Gratitude makes us more resilient: It has been found to help people recover from traumatic events.
Gratitude strengthens relationships: It makes us feel closer and more committed to friends and romantic partners. When partners feel and express gratitude for each other, they each become more satisfied with their relationship. Gratitude may also encourage a more equitable division of labor between partners.
Harvard Health Publishing sums it up with: “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”
Isn’t this an impact list that seems to tick a lot of boxes for us busy moms?
To be honest, all this changed, nay, blew my mind.
Study after study looked into the various effects and benefits of gratitude, and results were staggeringly positive.
So, I tried it out.
I was an exhausted and busy mom, raising a baby during a global health crisis. My energy levels were limited and I wanted to make sure I used them wisely.
I also got my husband on board to create something that was organic and true to us.
We started off by looking back at the week on Sunday evenings, reflecting on what we’d experienced, and more often than not, found ourselves being grateful for many different things, from being able to find and buy disinfectant in a store, to having access to supportive healthcare providers, to being able to raise our Little One together, and so much more.
Our Sunday ritual gradually moved into several weekly individual gratitude reflections, but being grateful also frequently comes out in our conversations, reflecting an overall positive mindset and attitude.
True, parenting is still relentless and exhausting at times but I feel more content and at peace.
Practicing Gratitude is easy and has long lasting effects
“One study from the University of Pennsylvania found that people who wrote and delivered a heartfelt thank-you letter actually felt happier for a full month after, and the same researchers discovered that writing down three positive events each day for a week kept happiness levels high for up to six months.”, Jessica Cassity for Happify
While it’s not quite clear yet why the results are long lasting, it may have something to do with the fact that practicing gratitude actually means that you’re rewiring your brain, so much so that certain areas in the brain will show up more developed on brain scans.
“The trick is that you need to picture it (the reason you’re grateful) in your mind and sit with that feeling of gratitude in your body. Doing this every day will rewire your brain to be naturally more grateful, and you’ll start feeling happier after every session.
It only takes eight weeks of gratitude practice for people to start showing changed brain patterns that lead to greater empathy and happiness.” writes Janet Miller in Forbes.
Practicing gratitude is easy to do.
All you need to do is to get started and keep practicing to see positive effects.
3 easy ways to practice gratitude
Here are three easy gratitude exercises that are aimed at inspiring you to get started.
Gratitude Collage - You create a mood board or collage with pictures of all that you are grateful for.
Gratitude Jar - Every time you experience gratitude, you write the reason down on a piece of paper and place it in the jar. This acts also as a mood booster down the road too, as you can pick the papers back out when you’re feeling low and would like to feel happier.
Gratitude Journal - You write down what you are grateful for and the positive aspects of your life several times a week.
“Research by UC Davis psychologist Robert Emmons, author of Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, shows that simply keeping a gratitude journal—regularly writing brief reflections on moments for which we’re thankful—can significantly increase well‑being and life satisfaction.”, Derrick Carpenter for Happify
Are you ready to try your free 3 minute Self Love & Daily Gratitude Journal for busy moms?
How do you write a Self Love and Gratitude Journal every day?
The best time to get started is now. Get your pdf download here and start writing - no matter what time of day.
The best way to keep going is by making it part of your routine and easily accessible.
You can keep your free Self Love & daily Gratitude Journal next to your bed to write down your reflections as part of your night time routine.
Or, you can decide to set your day's intentions while you're having a cup of coffee or during your morning commute.
See how you can couple gratitude journaling with another activity, keep at it, and take note of what you’re learning about yourself.
Gratitude and children
A quick note to say that gratitude is also good for kids. “Children as young as six or seven are more generous when they’re feeling grateful, and grateful adolescents tend to be more resilient. When 10-19 year-olds practice gratitude, they report greater life satisfaction and more positive emotion, and they feel more connected to their community.”
Depending on your family’s situation, you may even decide to go on a Self Love and Gratitude journey together with your children. You can be each other’s accountability partners, grow your relationships with each other, and create your own family rituals around it.
As busy moms, we have to be selective with how we spend our energy and time.
Investing 3 minutes daily to reflect on being kind to ourselves and practicing gratitude seems like a wonderful investment, when the scientifically proven impact leads to feeling more content and joyful, having more restful sleep, a healthier body, and better relationships.
Thank you for reading this far.
Wishing you a wonderful journaling experience with more happiness and wellbeing ahead for you.