I literally brag about gratitude in most of my posts, but that’s because it seriously crushes your problems and makes them feel tinier than they were before. Combine all of the points above, and you got yourself a pretty decent Happiness Journal. Yes, you could totally do it yourself.

Deborah earned a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education/English, accompanied by a minor in Spanish. Her writing expertise allows her to craft engaging, impactful stories that resonate with readers. Journaling is a powerful facilitator of personal growth. You create a chronological record of your journey as you consistently record your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Over time, this record can reveal patterns, highlight growth, and provide insights into your evolving self. Yes, you want to reflect because only by occasionally looking behind you could actually see ahead clearly. Happiness and meaning have an even more distinct line between the two. Rarely are happiness and meaning confused or used interchangeably, and for good reason—they describe two very different experiences. Joseph Sirgy, M., & Wu, J. (2009). The pleasant life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life: What about the balanced life? Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 183-196.

A woman who lives alone, has excellent relationships with her nieces and nephews, gives to charity, and finds meaning in her work; Noting the things that make you happy and expressing gratitude for them has been proven in a study by Harvard Health to make you feel more 'positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships'. The association between the two makes sense, and it’s common to hear the two words used interchangeably outside of the literature; however, when it comes to the science of positive psychology, it is important to make a distinction between the two. Achor explains that if you follow the six habits explained above daily, for 21 days, you’ll be transformed from a pessimist to an optimist. In addition, within 30 days, following these habits will change the neuropathways of your brain and turn you into a lifelong optimist. That’s quite an assertion. As you can probably assume from the list above, there is a strong relationship between mental health and happiness! When happy people are healthier, have better relationships, make friends more easily, and find more success in life, it’s easy to see why happiness and mental health are related.

Here’s a short story of how I moved from journaling to positive journaling (yes, these are two different types of journaling).

Conclusion

As the quote from Baumeister and colleagues (2013) suggests, there are important distinctions between the methods of searching for and the benefits of experiencing happiness and meaning. Scott Barry Kaufman at Scientific American (2016) outlines these distinctions that Baumeister and his fellow researchers found between the two:

The benefits of keeping a happiness journal extend beyond the personal realm. According to numerous psychological studies, regular journaling can enhance memory, boost mood, reduce stress, and even improve physical health. It’s a practice that nourishes the mind, body, and spirit. You might be wondering why happiness is considered such an important aspect of life, as there are many components of a meaningful life. A teenager in a foster home who has several close friends and enjoys playing football on his school’s team;but you love all things journaling or at least are willing to dive into the deep paper world of (pretty) empty notebooks. Happy people have an easier time navigating through life since optimism eases pain, sadness, and grief. Lyubomirsky, S. (2001). Why are some people happier than others? The role of cognitive and motivational processes in well-being. American Psychologist, 56(3), 239. I spend weeks crafting it out, as I had to make sure I’m not missing out on anything. I’m proudly using it every morning and evening, and the simplicity still amazes me.