At the end of the day, before you get into bed, set aside some time (5 to 10 minutes) to think about and write down at least one thing you are grateful for that day.

The gratitudes that you write can be as big or as small as you like but they must be both specific and personally meaningful. It is not enough to simply write down what an event was. You need to include the details of who it involved, when it happened, and most importantly, why it mattered to you.

Thinking in this much detail enables you to experience the event more deeply and develop a greater appreciation for it.

Gratitude Jar

This is a simpler alternative strategy to writing a journal. It is a fun way of creating a personal jar full of gratitudes to appreciate and be thankful for.

1. At the end of each day, write down two things you are grateful for and put them in the jar. You can also draw them if you like.

2. Remember each event can be as small as a friend phoning you on your lunch break or a colleague thanking you for your help on a project.

3. At the end of the week or month, set aside some time to empty the jar and read the entries.

1. Think of three people who have been a positive influence in your life and that you feel really grateful to – they could be a friend, family member, colleague or someone else who has made a difference in your life.

2. Take a piece of paper and write down their names followed by the reasons you are grateful to them.

3. Choose one of these people and write them a letter to tell them how grateful you are. You can either decide to write freely on a blank piece of paper or you can use the PDF template in the materials section for some guidance.

4. Repeat this process once a month, each time choosing a different person to write to and adding more names to your list as required.

Ideas for information to include:

• What is it specifically that you are grateful to this person for?
• How did this person help you?
• How did this shape who you are today?

In addition to writing letters of thanks to other people, you can also try writing a letter to yourself. 

Write down something you are grateful to yourself for – it can be anything from persevering with a difficult work project, to learning a new language, to making time for yourself to watch your favourite film. As before, you can either decide to write freely on a blank piece of paper or you can use the PDF template in the materials section for some guidance.

Once you have written your letter, try and read it out loud. Repeat this process at the end of each week to remind yourself of what you have achieved.