Gratitude journaling is simple: write down a few specific things you appreciate, either once a day or a few times a week. The point is to train your attention toward what is steady, helpful, or good.
The National Institute of Mental Health encourages people to practice gratitude by writing things down or replaying them in their minds. NIH News in Health says that taking time to feel gratitude may improve emotional well-being and help people cope with stress.
That does not mean a gratitude journal fixes anxiety, depression, or burnout on its own. It is a small habit, not a treatment plan.
If you want it to stick, keep it tiny. Three bullets, one notebook, five minutes. Specific beats poetic.
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