Do you take long for the Gratitude habit? Can it be as short as simply writing the things down?

Jeanette C.
Being grateful for something shouldn't be a 'task'. Being grateful is something that comes in and out (if that makes sense). The grateful habit can be set for a certain time of course but it's something you should always be thinking about. It should pop into your thoughts here and there like how grateful you are for something. Gratitude doesn't take time at all. It's like how you're always thinking of some things like "Oh I have to make sure I complete this work, or clean my house or so and so" it's like that. So to answer your question, yes, gratitude can take as little time as writing something you're grateful for down. At the same time, you can also take hours and hours to be grateful for something. You can meditate while thinking of things to be grateful for or simply do a quick session on Gratitude. It depends on you, if you want to learn to be more grateful and happy then take more time, but if you want to save time for something else just write some things you're grateful for down!
Nyasha P.
I just write it diwn and move on but some days I take a second after writing it down to close my eyes, breathe in and experience the gratitude. That makes it more meaningful
Nicole E.
Honestly it’s too intimidating if it’s something I have to spend a lot of time and effort with at this stage, so I just take a few seconds to think of things I am grateful for. Once I get a little further down the road in my journey I may feel ready to do more, but experience has taught me to keep the bar low when I introduce a new habit if I want to really feel empowered and successful with consistently doing it.
Elmer U.
I don’t worry about the length too much. I just write straight from the heart and when I feel like I got everything off my chest then that’s when I stop writing.
Eli F.
I feel that it can be as simple as writing things down because you have to reflect before you are able to write them down so the things you think of should still be heartfelt or important to you.
Cyndi S.
I generally will write down everything good that happened that day that I’m grateful for, even small things like the dogs not going crazy. I’ll use the rest of the time to read.
Marie W.
I write down three or four things that I’m grateful/happy about. Sometimes i just not feel in the mood (I can be angry at something or whatever) so it’s hard for me to think of those 3 things to be grateful for, but after “forcing myself” to find something to be grateful for, it starts flowing naturally. Some days you might want to write a loooot because you are inspired, some other days only a couple things… keep it up!
Everaldo Z.
When I first started the Gratitude habit, I usually took 10 minutes to write down at least 5 things I was grateful for. Once you get started, usually you can’t stop. I ended up with about 10 things I was grateful for in that one day! Taking notice and recognizing my thoughts, writing them down, and reflecting on them helped me feel more composed and confident that I was on the right track. Taking note of the smaller things only clears up your mind, making room for the thoughts that really matter. Yes, I do think it can be as simple as writing down anything you want to write down. After all, it is the best way to unplug your mind and refresh your thoughts for the night and upcoming morning.
Geovana E.
It’s a very simple habit that I perform everyday before sleep. Make me think how privileged we are in the life, even in the small things. I also write down the things I achieved in the day and what I can do for my day ending awesome! It’s very helpful, I can guarantee you! After some repetitions it’s just automatic in your system.
Heidelore T.
Usually I take at least 10 minutes for the gratitude habit, because I use a journal that has gratitude prompts so I have a different focus for my gratitude each day and I normally write about more than one prompt. That being said, if time is short or I can’t find a prompt that resonates with me on that day, I think writing just a few things down is just as valuable to keep the habit going and to keep you in that grateful mindset.
Amanda W.
I write a brain dump list of all the happy things that highlighted my day, the kind of information I’d usually reel off on the phone to my Mum. Then at the end just three things I’m most grateful for. It’s actually really great to sit with a cup of tea for a few minutes before starting my bedtime routine to calm my brain down whilst doing this.
Elleana O.
I don’t have a lot of time in my day so I make mine quick. I don’t have enough time to really sit down and be grateful for 10 minutes and write it all down. So instead I take a second to be grateful as part of my habit, but I try to acknowledge the little things through out the day to be grateful for.
Sara N.
I’ve had a lot of difficulties as of late and practicing gratitude has been the most difficult challenge so far because it’s not one I simply can’t find time for and accept but because I can’t feel it. Looking in the mirror and thinking about what is good in my life has been difficult but the thought of simply writing down one thing a day in a journal in something I never considered. I think that writing one thing in the morning and before bed would show all I have to be great-full for and watching that list grow would show everything wonderful in my life.
Youssef S.
For me, practicing gratitude takes from 1mn to 12mn
depends on the day on my mood etc..
if you sometimes don't feel like doing your gratitude habit you can just spend only 1mn on writing the first three things that cones to you mind.
Magdalena X.
I try to spend those 10 minutes with this activity. It alows me to also feel the gratitude and realize it. Writting down is for me too
fast, like to make a to do list.
Abhilash I.
I'll get straight to it whatever, your way is it important that we spent a decent amount of time appreciating what we have at the moment,
be it writing in a journal
Or closing your eyes and thanking those things that come into your mind which you think to deserve appreciation or be it performing prayer for all those things that you have received or earned.

Cause more often than not we are oblivious to a lot of things that we have this very moment.

Sound health, all your Limbs, Eyes, nose mouth, a beating heart, world's most evolved piece of machinery: our brain, a loving family, your job or bushings so you get the idea.

In all honesty, I don't want to brother myself
with what scientific journals have to say about how gratitude will help me, its basic common sense that if we learn to appreciate what we have at this moment from the core of our being it's logical to presume that if that dream that we are struggling to make it a reality every day has come true we would be able to appreciate it!

Astrid U.
I think a long answer is better but everyday is different. A shot answer is better than not thinking about gratitude at all.
Axel H.
A long answer is better than short, but short is better than none! It's less intimidating for me to start out small then build once it feels natural.
Sofia W.
Sometimes I write my gratitude out in sentence form and sometimes I use a list. I try to elaborate on WHY I’m grateful, to really get my mind flowing on positivity.
Cadie Z.
While technically my timer for my Gratitude habit is set for ten minutes, I’ve noticed that frequently I go far beyond that time. Each night, I take time to reflect and intentionally find as many things I’m grateful for as the day of the month. While this may sound difficult, I’ve found it’s not actually as strenuous as you might imagine, because we all have so much to be grateful for. I take these things and design corresponding notecards that I place on my Gratitude Wall, which is located right next to my bed and is often the first thing I see when I wake up each morning, allowing myself to recenter around my gratefulness for the day ahead.
Natalia N.
I always take anytime I got to be grateful, it’s my power formula to feel like I’m present and connected with something that is bigger than my own universe
Lydia Y.
usually I try to do it in about 10 minutes. at first she was really hard for me, but as I kept doing it it kept getting easier. just do whatever works for you!
Le La O.
Je prends 10 Minutes minimum pour exercer et entraîner mon cerveau à ressentir cette gratitude naturellement et ne pas en faire un effort
Frida Z.
I’m not used to having gratitude session I usually take a little small times in the day to just thank the universe for all the wonderful things that are working in my favor
Caitlin U.
I'm grateful for whatever I have
Wealth money healthy situation
Healthy relationship
Supporting family
Few good and reliable friends
Jordan U.
Well for me I write the things that I'm grateful about at night and read then in the morning. But I'm mostly real about it (not repeating it for the sake if just writing anything)
Lauren P.
I think you can do this anyway you want, whether you just sop and think about 5 things you are grateful for or just being grateful for the day. It's up to you.
Camila Z.
Yeah, I actually make a list of anything that comes to my mind.
At the beginning it was difficult because I wasn't used to thinking in that way so my psychologist proposed to push myself to write at least 2 things per night. That helped kick off my mind I guess.
Another thing that helped me was to find another reason to write positive things. "gratitude" sounded too vague for me so I started thinking about what nice things happened during the day like having a nice meal or talkng with someone I care for. Or what do I find particularly nice about my life, things I'm lucky to have like being able to stay at home during quarantine. I know that's basically the same as gratitude but rephrasing the question helped me make it more personal.
A tip, sometimes I just fill in things that might sound cliché like having a roof over my head. It sounds weird in my head but once it is on paper I realized that it's actually a real reason to be grateful for.
Cyndi S.
I think about everything that happened that day & write down everything that made me happy or that was good. It’s usually a bunch of small things, but when I look at it after I’ve written everything down, it’s a lot to be grateful for!