Gratitude creates joy – not vice versa. Joy comes in many different forms, colour, music, great conversation, etc…. Think about how you find joy. I know the gratitude journal is very popular but if you are like me, sometimes I sometimes tend to stop after a few months. Instead, I keep an ongoing list of things I’m grateful for on my phone and a specific page in my planner. Whenever I’m feeling down, I can just look at the page and see how many things there are to be thankful. Try to live by being thankful regardless of the circumstances. A few steps to help you start are:
1. Manage expectations
You need to make sure you have reasonable expectations with your family, friends, colleagues, etc.
2. Be specific
Write down specific things you are grateful for instead of a general thankfulness.
3. Make gratitude a practice in your daily life
You can either have a gratitude journal or get creative and have a Mason jar with little notes of thanks and call it “gratitude drops”. You can write or read one to boost your joy.