How to Use a Sunburst Gratitude Worksheet

Get Your Free Sunburst Gratitude Worksheet

Have you used a gratitude worksheet when making a bullet journal? I was curious if I could recreate a digital version for you to use at home, so I gave it a go.

I have to say, lining up all the little sun rays was no easy feat, but I think I think I accomplished it. If you use this gratitude worksheet, please give me feedback on how to improve it!

I’m certainly a writer first and designer distant second. I have ideas of things to create, and I can tell you if something looks good to me or not… but I have zero design skills!

Anyway, I set out to create this gratitude worksheet with the idea that it would be completed one day at a time. I was going to add in the numbers 1 to 31 to match up to the days of the month. But, when completing it for this point, I decided that it has more than one use. So, I’ve intentionally left out the dates.

Here’s how I think you can best put it to use.

Gratitude Rampage

I wasn’t intending to do a gratitude rampage when I filled out the worksheet, but that’s kind of how it worked out. Coming up with 31 things to be grateful for all at once forced me to get creative and really dig deep about what I have to be thankful for.

If you’re feeling down or like things in your life aren’t how you want them to be, I encourage you to use this worksheet all in one sitting. Keep writing out things you have a reason to be grateful for, and see if your mood doesn’t shift.

One Day a Month

This is how I originally envisioned the gratitude worksheet being completed: one day at a time for a full month. I think this is still a good idea, particularly if you like to get into daily habits. This benefit of doing it this way is that you will be forcing yourself to be mindful of the daily things that make you happy. Instead of slipping back into a negative mindset, you’ll be forced to find the positive.

With the Gratitude Journal

I also have a 31-day gratitude journal in my resource library, so you could easily combine this gratitude worksheet with the gratitude journal to have a month’s worth of activities to keep you busy.

As You Feel It

No need to keep writing if you’re not feeling it. Instead, just fill out the sun’s rays as you think of what you are thankful for. Some days you might find yourself writing out multiple items, while other days you have nothing to add. That’s okay! We all have down days where we just need to focus on getting through.

Why the Sunburst?

You might be wondering why I used the sunburst imagery. I’d seen this done in bullet journals before, but I think it’s particularly compelling for a gratitude worksheet, because the sun (and the planet, for that matter) is something that most of us take for granted. And, the point of this worksheet is to stop for a minute and really think about what you already have to be thankful for in your life.

A Group Project

I actually had my kids help me out a bit when I filled out the worksheet, and it got me thinking that you could easily fill out this worksheet as a group project, either as a family or for a special occasion. It could be a good icebreaker for tables at a wedding, attendees at a conference, or guests at a shower of some sort. Structure can be helpful for alleviating social anxiety, so any type of structure that you can add to special occasions will be a welcome touch.

A Yearlong Project

Instead of writing about the past, could you consider writing about the future? Pull out this worksheet at the start of the year, and write down all the things you expect to be grateful for throughout the year. Then, at the end of the year, take it out and see how many of your predictions came true.

I hope that however you choose to use the gratitude worksheet, be it as a quick rampage, day-a-month journal, only when you feel it, or as a yearlong project, that it helps you to slow down and truly appreciate all that you already have going well for you in your life.

Want to get your own copy of the sunburst gratitude worksheet? Sign up for the newsletter below and you can access it inside the resource library.

How to Use a Sunburst Gratitude Worksheet