Gratitude Journaling Saved My Life

Gratitude journaling effects brain chemistry and even saved me from suicidal thoughts. It’s surprisingly simple and shockingly powerful.

My PreK BFF talks to Oprah.

When I was in high school, I found out my first friend from preschool was going to be on Oprah! So I got the little box TV we took on road trips and popped in the VHS to record Lisa talk to Oprah.

Oprah asked some questions to get the backstory. Lisa explained how she had gotten into the “popular” group in high school and started acting kind of snotty. (Forgive me if I’m telling the details wrong, Lisa! That is the gist of what I remember from over 20 years ago!) Lisa then told Oprah about how she started gratitude journaling and it changed her entire life, how she saw the world, and how she treated people around her.

After that TV episode, I chose gratitude journaling as my topic for my AP Psych class that semester. I began researching gratitude and it’s effect on the brain. I learned it literally changes the structure of your brain chemistry when you give thanks.

The more I dove into the research, the more amazed I was at the power of being grateful.

Darkness to Light.

During the time I started researching gratitude, I was hyper-analytical. I was also depressed, hopeless, and considering taking my own life.

If you’ve ever had suicidal thoughts:

If you’ve ever been there, confess it to the Lord that you once agreed and partnered with suicidal thoughts.

• Confess attempting to take the role of God and number your own days.
• Take up your authority in Christ and close all doors that were opened to a spirit of death, deaf and dumb spirit, and hopelessness in Jesus’s name.
• Ask God to wash away all ties to darkness, death and self-hate by the blood of Jesus.
• Ask God to fill you to overflowing with hope, to heal mother and father wounds by His love, to show you the great love and plans He has for you.
• Ask Him to renew your hope.

When I was in the thick of darkness in my mind, shortly after I had given lordship of my life to Jesus. He was just beginning the process of making me a new creation and just beginning the work of setting me free. I was just starting to get to know Jesus and His Word and just starting to wonder if maybe He really does love me like He says He does in His Word. Even so, I remember the ache and the pain, still feeling hollow and worthless.

If you can relate, I hurt for you today.

Let me show you one of the simple steps I took to get out of that dark pit of despair.

Gratitude Journaling.

Well after Lisa told her testimony to Oprah and after all the research proved the undeniable power of gratitude, I decided to give it a go.

Armed with only a journal and a pen, I started writing down a few things I could be thankful for every night. At first, it felt a little awkward and challenging. But with time, I began to look forward to this practice.

Thank you Lord for:

• Paper and pen
• Breath
• I heard a bird sing today
• Orion in the sky last night
• Walking to the stream
• Getting groceries with mom
• Biscuits

A new mindset.

Gratitude journaling began to reshape my mind. I could see and notice the difference! Wow! The gratitude research results weren’t just for “those people” in clinical trials but it also worked for me!

Slowly, the darkness around me got lighter and brighter. My mind shifted from focusing on past trauma, sounds, and victimization and slipped into a thankful heart.

I became a beauty seeker. I started seeing poetry all around me. The world had more sunlight, fragrance, and kindness.

I stopped watching Daria on MTV and stopped relating to her “Sick Sad World.” Slowly, I became thankful for water in the tap, shoes on my feet even if they weren’t Doc Martins, and new JNCOs that made me feel cool even if they were awkwardly high waters. (And every tall girl my age just laughed out loud.)

The Saving Power of Gratitude.

There have been times when gratitude bubbles over in me and other times where I had to force myself to think of something. But there was always something to thank God for. After decades of practice, it now feels like second nature. I find myself thanking God while I drive and do dishes and walk along the road.

The practice of writing down things I’m thankful for  helped save my life. It got me through high school cafeterias, postpartum depression, military deployments, and chronic illness where we wondered if I would pull through. It even got me through losing all sense of home and security when my husband died weeks after arriving in a new state.

No matter what darkness you face today, gratitude journaling can be a lifeline between you and the God of All Hope. Give it a try this week!

For further reading:

If you have ever partnered with suicidal thoughts, here’s a template of sorts of how to pray through something like this. The example in this post on how to take your thoughts captive is about the spirit of rejection but the same principles of prayer apply in this case too.