When we think of self-improvement, we often imagine activities like exercise, yoga, or meditation. But did you know that you can improve your life by jotting down a few words? Science tells us that these simple writing practices can have a marked effect on how you’re feeling.

1 Increase your gratitude with regular check-ins
Studies show that recording your grateful thoughts in a gratitude journal three times per week can make you happier.

Why it works:

While we learn from our struggles, it’s important to make sure we also factor in the good things that come our way. A gratitude journal encourages us to keep things in perspective and to fight off gloomy thoughts in the process. When we take notice of the things that give us pleasure, our overall happiness increases.

How to do it:

It’s simple—take a few days each week to write down things for which you’re grateful. It can be anything from expressing gratitude for the co-worker who brought you a cup of coffee to celebrating a personal or family milestone. Be specific—elaborating on a point can have a deeper impact than jotting down superficial observations.

2 Get rid of negative thoughts by physically throwing them away
Researchers learned that when people discard a physical representation of their thoughts, such as a note, they also banish those thoughts from their heads.

Why it works:

No one ever completely changed their body image by trashing a piece of paper that reads “My thighs are too fat,” but science says it helps. The effect seems to come from labeling thoughts as positive or negative and reacting accordingly by either preserving them or throwing them away.

How to do it:

Write down one thing you like about yourself. Keep your “like” safe in your pocket, wallet, or purse and take it out now and again to refine it. Also, write down one thing you dislike about yourself. Now, destroy the “dislike” with all the fires of hell! (Just kidding! Shred it and dump it.) Pro tip: doing this digitally doesn’t seem to work as well, so break out a real notepad.

3 Be confident in your goals by writing them down
Having confidence in your ability to achieve your goals is a key component to optimism, but you have to start with a clear idea of what those goals are. Organizing your thoughts on paper helps.

Why it works:

Tasks tend to seem overwhelming until we break them down into simple, step-by-step processes. Writing down your goals makes them feel more attainable.

How to do it:

Pick a goal that’s both important to you and something you can realistically accomplish within the next two weeks. (“Finish reading a book this week” is doable; “Read the entire Harry Potter series” . . . not so much.) Describe the end goal and each step you’ll take to get there, from purchasing a book to carving out some alone time and actually reading. As you accomplish these two-week victories, you can set larger goals. Soon you’ll be making progress and feeling better about yourself in the process.

Credit: Grammarly