Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.- Robert Braathe
Expressing Gratitude is a topic we have written about several times as a tool that can be used in solution-focused encounters with clients. And it is a practice that we both embrace regularly. Expressing gratitude has been shown to help people improve their health, deal with challenges, and feel more positive. Really any time is a great time to develop and express gratitude – from the big things in life to the tiniest things (like the sunbeams coming in the window as we write this).
Following on this “season of thanksgiving” and closing out our year-long series on “Diabetes Technology and Solution-Focused Practice”, today we’re sharing 3 Gratitude Apps that you may wish to recommend to your clients (or use yourself).
Gratitude: Journal App
Price: Free & paid versions
System: iOS, macOS
Features/Content: Daily journal, affirmations, reminders, prompts, vision board
We love that this app incorporates both the practice of gratitude and using positive affirmations (which we wrote more about in a previous blog here.) The user can journal in the app what they’re grateful for and add images. Plus, the app sends prompts as a reminder to record what you’re grateful for – for instance, “What made you smile today?” The user can also write their own positive affirmations to practice positive self-talk. Some of Tami’s favorites are, “I am kind. I will not worry. I am created for a purpose.” And from there, the user can create a vision board to focus on their goals and live life with intention. Deb also likes the fact that this app allows you to easily share with friends. To reinforce gratitude practice, Deb started sending text messages to friends to express appreciation. You can also easily post to social media channels.
365 Gratitude Journal
- Rating 4.7
- Price: Free & paid versions
- System: iOS, macOS
- Features/Content: Journal, virtual gratitude jar, prompts, sharing gratitude with others
This is a science-based gratitude journal that guides the user to see the world in a more positive light. The app sends daily gratitude prompts that are thought-provoking and shares stories that cultivate self-love, positivity, and joy (another aspect that we fully appreciate. See our blog about finding joy here.) One gratitude strategy we’ve recommended in our previous gratitude blogs is having a gratitude box (or jar) and this app incorporates a virtual gratitude jar for the user to fill with things they’re grateful for. The app even lets the user write and send a little gratitude card to someone.
Grateful: A Gratitude Journal
- Rating 4.6
- Price: Free & paid versions
- System: iOS
- Features/Content: Journal, prompts, reminders, easily review past entries & customize timeline
This app is simple and is designed to make reflection and giving thanks easy. The app will send a daily prompt/question to answer to start you off. It’s at the ready to capture a grateful moment on the go. For reflection, the app allows the user to easily navigate past entries by timeline (such as to check frame of mind last December) or by prompt (such as to see the things that made you smile this year). This app is helpful in changing the mindset to look at the good, rather than focusing on the negative in the day.
We hope that you find these gratitude apps helpful to you and your clients!
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Deb is employed by Dexcom, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.
Tami is employed by the University of Kentucky HealthCare Barnstable Brown DIabetes Center, but her words and opinions in this blog are her own.
