Journal Yourself Happy With These 5 Methods

A journal can take many forms. The journaling methods I describe in this post are meant to lift your spirits.

If you’ve felt sad or depressed for long, you might have forgotten what it feels like to be happy and find it impossible to muster up positive feelings.

But you CAN start to feel happier.

This blog post will direct your focus on journaling activities that can lift your mood and help you overcome depression.

I recommend that you save or print out this blog post and go through each of the journaling activities to see which ones make a difference for YOU.

Change the order if you prefer, or work your way straight through.

You might love to continue some of these journaling methods on a regular basis, perhaps making them part of your daily routine. Some, after completion, you might enjoy folding away in a drawer to revisit and update seasonally or yearly.

My hope is simply that introducing these methods to you will help you develop a habit of focusing on activities to increase happiness.

So, commit to incorporating one or some of these journaling activities into your daily life.

Two important notes:

If you’re experiencing severe depression and/or feeling suicidal, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or by visiting their website: https://988lifeline.org/.

For an introduction to depression and some first steps you can take to find relief, read this post: “Overcoming Depression: Your Good Start Guide”. Read through the 10 steps to commit to change, and then come back and complete the journaling exercises in this post.

1. Recording Positivity

Recording daily positive experiences is an easy step to take. But don’t underestimate the simplicity of this activity.

Your instructions are to reflect on at least three good things that happen to you each day. You could make this a mental exercise or paper-and-pen activity.

A few ideas for recording positive experiences:

• Start a daily positivity journal.
• Use a cute calendar or some space on your daily planner.
• Create a note page in a phone app.
• Text a friend or family member.
• Post on social media (as long as you have a healthy relationship with social media and don’t get pulled into doom scrolling).
• Start a bedtime ritual thinking back through your day and three good things that happened to you.
• Make notes of positive things throughout your day.

The good things can be small.

For example, so far today my cinnamon and dandelion root tea concoction tasted amazing, I was entertained by a couple of beautiful needle fish hunting minnows for their breakfast by my boat, and my son shared a funny Instagram video with me.

Those are good things that happened to me….not exciting or adventurous, but good.

Many of my clients have practiced this activity and reported experiencing some relief from their sadness or depression. This exercise can likely help you, too.

If you tend to get caught in vicious whirlpools of doom and gloom, try this activity to help you remember some good things that occur in your days.

It’s not about rose-colored glasses or negating problems; it’s about keeping your head above water.

Read about Dr. Martin Seligman’s Three Good Things Study here.

2. Finding Amazement

There’s nothing like coming across something that brings you a sense of awe or wonder — something so vastly beautiful, interesting, or marvelous that it’s almost incomprehensible — like intricate details on a butterfly’s wings, a song that touches your soul, the talent of a little-known artist, a magical looking tree, or a new baby in the family.

Can you name three things that amazed you within the last week?

If you can’t name three, then make it a goal to spend more time finding amazement. Start capturing “amazing” finds in a journal, digital photo album, your social media feed, or in a challenge with a friend. Sharing your experiences of amazement will bring you even greater joy.

Here are several places to seek amazement:

• In nature — in trees, rivers, skies, tide pools, mountain bases, mountain tops, trails, reefs, gardens, spider webs, beaches, bird songs, migrations, tiny critter behaviors, fur patterns and other adaptations of animals, etc.
• In arts — in museums, music, walls of graffiti, dance, poetry books, building constructions, bridges, digital creations, biographies, inspiring movies, etc.
• In people — in others’ talents, beauty, generosity, kindness, helpfulness, determination, out-of-the-ordinary actions, etc.

3. Creating a Personal Mission Statement

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – Maya Angelou

If you want to live each day to the fullest, you’ll need to think about what you really want out of your life and the principles and values that will guide your day-to-day decisions.

A personal mission statement can serve as a simple road map to help you live a happy and fulfilling life. It provides clarity for making decisions, gives you a sense of purpose, defines who you are and how you want to live, helps you establish goals, and helps you know what to say “no” to.

Your personal mission statement includes your values, beliefs, and priorities in just a sentence or two. These may change as you get older and experience life differently, so this is an activity to repeat periodically.

Here is a blog post to walk you through creating a personal mission statement.

This is a fantastic idea to journal yourself happy. Give it a try.

4. Winding Down With Evening Reflections

When you’re stressed and depressed, it’s difficult to muster a positive attitude about life. Committing to evening reflections can help you build resiliency, cultivate positivity, find happiness and joy in your life more regularly, and feel more emotionally balanced.

Positive things likely occur around you, but you don’t notice them through the veils of stress and/or depression, or they quickly get dismissed. This activity can help you become more aware of positive things in your life so that you can FEEL more positive.

It would be a good idea to complete this activity every evening for at least one week, ideally three weeks to really work towards a more consistent positive mindset. Then you could continue to use the strategy on a weekly basis, perhaps as a Sunday night weekly reflection.

Review your reflections often as well. Share them with someone who cares about you and will love joining you in celebrating your triumphs.

Here are some prompts for your evening reflections:

Write about as many of the topics as you can each evening. Gift yourself ample time to reflect on each day and write thoughtful responses. If you can’t think of anything to write for one prompt, skip it and go back to it once more, or make a mental note to try to notice it more the next day. You could also just choose one prompt each evening

• What simple things were you grateful for today? If there was anything grand today, of course you can write about that, too.
• What felt important today? A positive conversation? A connection with your kiddo or a friend? A healthy habit you followed through with?
• What is something positive you learned about yourself today? It could be something that you already knew about yourself but finally came into light for you.
• What is something positive you learned about another person today? It could be something you were slightly aware of but you became more aware of this quality today.
• What is something positive you learned about the world today?
• What occurred today that changed your perspective of yourself, another person, or the world around you in a positive way?
• What is one small or grand thing you accomplished today? Or what is one small step you took toward a goal?
• What brought you joy today? What made you smile, swoon or laugh?
• What is one small or large beautiful thing you saw today?
• What is one thing you heard today that lifted your spirits or made you smile or laugh? A song? A joke? Someone’s voice?
• What do you want to remember most about today?

5. Starting a Positivity Journal

You may not realize how much power you have over your emotions. Taking time to reminisce and write about positive thoughts, things, memories and people in your life can help trigger positive feelings.

Here are some fun journal prompts to help you focus on positivity and journal yourself happy:

• What are 1-3 things that always bring you joy? Describe them fully, including what about them brings you joy.
• Write about a time when you were wonderfully surprised. Where were you? When? Who was involved? What transpired?
• Describe something you’ve done that you’re really proud of. How did you accomplish it? What exactly were you proud of (talent, perseverance, doing it scared, etc….)?
• What are the 3 greatest goals you’ve achieved in your life? How did you achieve them? What obstacles did you have to overcome, or what changes did you have to make in your life? What did achieving each goal mean for you?
• Write a list of things that light you up and make you feel energized.
• What has someone done for you that showed they really care about you? (This could be from way back in your past or lately.)
• Write about a time when you were treated with unexpected kindness by either a stranger or someone you know who surprised you.
• Describe a time when you felt deeply and sincerely acknowledged for your efforts, ideas or contributions.
• Write down 3 things from your past that you are grateful for and 3 things in the present.
• Describe a time in your life when you were completely filled with awe.
• Write about a time when you laughed so hard that you cried.

Journal yourself happy with a spiritual focus

• What makes you feel hopeful? Is there something you often see or hear that gives you a spring of hope in your step? Is there a book, movie or song that brings you a strong sense of optimism?
• What stirs up feelings of love within you?
• What activities help you feel calm and centered?
• Describe a time in your life when you felt completely content.
• Where do you get a sense of belonging? With whom? Doing what?
• Write about a time when you felt particularly confident. How were you able to feel so confident?
• Who is a person that always gives you a boost of confidence? How do they do it? What has that confidence led you to do or to feel better about? (You might consider writing a letter or sending a message to them.)
• Who are people who inspire you or have inspired you in the past? How?

Happy journaling!

More Resources for Sadness or Depression:

Overcoming Depression: Your Good Start Guide

5 Ways to Lift Your Mood and Awaken Joyful Energy

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988 or visit their website: https://988lifeline.org/