DIY Affirmation Jar

Don't be a dope. Nurture your hope!

Life gets heavy sometimes, even if you're just dealing with your own personal dramas. For those of us who are activists for the earth, children, animals, and pretty much any other cause that tugs at our hearts on top of that, sometimes it feels like you can never do enough to change things. It's a challenge to not feel hopeless, but it's also superimportant that we don't.

I was inspired by blogger Glamazini who created a God Box to help manage her depression. It's such a brilliant and simple techique. She jots down negative ideas and anxieties onto a slip of paper. She then surrenders her fears to God by putting them into a box, trusting God will take care of her. I love her idea!

Writing down negative things didn't feel right for me so I decided to make an affirmation jar instead. I write down the exact opposite of the negative thought I am feeling, read it aloud to myself, and slip it onto the affirmation jar. For example, I'm feeling a lot of anxiety about paying off my student loans, so I wrote "I repay my student loans with ease and joy." Even just writing it offers a little relief and makes me picture a scenario where I have actually paid my student loans.

I love my affirmation jar!

I think it's a good idea to decorate your jar with things that inspire you and remind you of the beauty and good that's in the world. I decorated my jar with a collage of a painting scrap, catalog, security envelope innards, receipt paper, a tea bag tag reading "Be heard", a felt ball my friend made, and this awesome quote from MLK: "Faith is taking the first step even though you don't see the staircase." I made the lid with 2 scraps of fabric and a strip of felt held together with embroidery thread to create a slit to pass paper through. It's held on with string from a gift and two rubber bands. (I can make a photo or video tut if people are interested because I have it's hard to explain how to create the lid with words. Lemme know.) 

Whether you make a God Box or an affirmation jar, I just wanted to remind you that you don't have to deal with things alone. You're not dealing with things alone. Don't lose hope! The Universe/ God / Nature/ whatever higher power you believe in is conspiring for good things to happen for all of us. Trust in this and take relief in the truth that everything is working out for the best.

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Please like Olivia Cleans Green on Facebook, join my email list, follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to my blog posts (by RSS or email) to keep in touch and discover more creative green homemaking tips.