Oh, The Fun to Be Found While Gratitude Canning!!
Don’t get me wrong… I enjoy gratitude journaling, but gratitude jarring can be even more fun. Have you ever thought about creating a Gratitude Jar… so you can display all that you are grateful for?
Let me introduce you to Gratitude Canning!
Gratitude Jars can be a lot of fun to create. You can make them in different sizes, out of different types of jars, recycle old food jars to make them, decorate them anyway you want to, and the best part is…
The more you make, the more you must have to be grateful for!
That’s my favorite part anyway, yet of course… I enjoy all the other parts too.
Below is a picture of my Gratitude Jar, or the Fruits of my Gratitude Canning. This little jar was very easy to make and I know it is going to give me plenty to remember when I am looking for something to be grateful for. That’s’s what this little jar is for… Making Life More Fun and Enjoyable, not only while you make, but everyday day after that when you look at it.
I like to leave mine on the nightstand on my side of the bed. This way the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see in the morning is my jar filled with all the things I am grateful for. It fills me with love and gratitude both morning and night.
Yet, It’s not just gazing upon your Gratitude Jar or even reading back through your Gratitude Journal that makes these types of tools so valuable when trying to focus your life towards a more positive mindset.
Nope, the entire process from creation to use is a ritual that has a life changing impact once the action is began.
How the Ritual of Gratitude Canning Can Affect the Brain.
Many people do not realize it, but our entire lives are based around rituals. Having your coffee in the morning is a ritual, the way you hold the steering wheel is a ritual, and even how you chew your food is a ritual.
Rituals can easily be compared to habits, they have the same effect on us emotionally and mentally. The main difference between a ritual and a habit is…
Normally, rituals are performed with intent, which makes them more powerful for manifesting the life you desire. We provide intent, energy, emotion, and even thought into the rituals we perform, even when we are not aware of it.
According to Psychology Today, “Research shows that rituals can offer numerous psychological advantages such as helping us savor experiences, giving us a sense of control, and reducing anxiety.” They go on to say in another post, “Whether simple or elaborate, rituals can be transformative, both mentally and physically, and they connect us, strengthen bonds, create order, and ground us within a community. They are the glue that binds communities together into healthy societies for all social animals.”
As you can see, there is a lot of experiments and science backing up how powerful rituals can be for a person and even for communities. Creating your own Gratitude Canning Experience is a great ritual that helps you focus on the great things in life so you can attract more great things later in life.
How Does the Gratitude Canning Process Work for Me?
Your brain and your RAS (Reticular Activating System) go into action even before you decide which bottle to fill with your gratitude and love. Your RAS starts working to point out to your conscious mind all the things you are grateful for and even more that you didn’t notice before.
Once you have chosen your bottle and decided how to decorate it, then the love and gratitude ritual still continues. Your brain and RAS will still be working together to help you come up with plenty of things to write on your pieces of paper.
I recommend that you start writing down all of your ideas right now as you decorate your bottle. Believe me, you will be filled with ideas to write down right now, but when the time comes to make your pieces of paper, your mind is probably going to go blank. Just be prepared…
As you create each element for your jar and glue or draw it into place, think of what your grateful for. As you design your stickers and labels, think about why these things are so great. Turn the creation process into a ritual of intention of surrounding yourself in the things you love and enjoy.
Still, the ritual continues…
Now you get to choose what type of paper you are going to write on, what color ink you want to write with, and even how you want to make your paper pieces. Are you going to rip them like I did, or are you going to cut them with scissors?
No matter which you choose, put your love and gratitude into each cut, each rip, and even each letter as you write.
Darken some of the writings with your pen to increase the strength of your intention.
Most of all…
Have fun with this experience. Make sure it is a joyful moment even if tears are shed. Then…
Make sure you read each piece of paper out loud as you place it in the see-thru jar. Again you get to choose!
You get to choose which ones can be read thru the glass, if they are upside down or right-side up, if there is a color pattern, or even the attempt to create no pattern…the choice is yours.
Then right before you tighten the lid, think one again about all those things and how they helped you get to where you are right now in life. Feel gratitude for being you and respecting all that these things you love have done to get you where you are right now in the present.
Tighten the lid, smile, and place your Gratitude Jar somewhere you can see it or even stumble over it every time you are looking for something. Put it in the fridge so you see it each time you open the door. There are so many places that work for so many different people.
The Future of Your Gratitude Jar
Many people do their Gratitude Canning once or twice and then use them for the rest of their lives just the way they are. Asdabbi people like to continue adding things to be grateful for in the jar every day or every week.
The idea is to fill the jar with so many things to be grateful for that you can no longer fit any more inside the jar. That’s when you do the ritual again with a larger jar. Imagine a glass gallon jar filled with every thing you love and feel grateful for?
Can you imagine one even bigger than that? I think that would be awesome.==>I would love to hear your experiences, questions, and thoughts about this subject, so please feel free to leave a comment below. I normally respond within 24 hours. Feel free to share this information with anyone you think will benefit from it. Talk with you later, Greg<==
Hi Asdabbi,
Thank you so much for this awesome article on cultivating gratitude! I have actually been practising gratitude journaling on and off for a long time. But I have struggled a little bit with truly getting into the habit of making it a daily practice, to really enjoy the benefits of this fantastic activity. This idea of Gratitude Canning might actually be just the step-up to really start doing this on a daily basis. Thank you so much! And thank you for this fantastic website in general. So many great articles and ideas to dive into! Will definitely be coming back!
Thanks again!
This is such a wonderful idea! I have only ever really done gratitude journaling, but I love this idea as something that you can create, add to, and look upon every day. If we lived in a bigger place, I would love to do this on a grand scale as I have so much to be grateful for. I will put this down in my list of “to-dos” so when I am able to do it.
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by. Yes, many people only think about gratitude journaling, but there are so many other fun ways to do it. Like this way, dream boards, post it notes, just to name a few♥️
Gratitude jars and gratitude canning are wonderful concepts to apply in our lives. In the present moment, we have so much for which to be grateful and the more ways we can express this gratitude the better. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Thanks for reading it, heck! One thing I love about gratitude jars is they fill up so fast. It truly does help you understand that there is a lot to be thankful for. Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
I had a friend that gave me a suggestion a couple of years ago that’s similar to this idea. Whenever something good happens to you, write it down and put it into a jar. It was meant to start at the beginning of the year, and come December 31st, or whenever you needed a reminder of how good life is, you could open the jar and if would be full of wonderful memories. Maybe you could mix up the two to fill a bigger jar.
No matter how it’s done, being grateful for all that you have is a boost to one’s mental health. For those who don’t necessarily like to write, this is a much more fun way to keep track of all we have to be grateful for. 🙂
Thank you for your awesome thoughts and ideas about Canning Gratitude. I really Like the Idea of keeping the jar for the year and then starting the next year by reading about how great the last year was. That’s Awesome!!
Have a great one!