‘This is one of my favourite projects because it’s so nice to look back on all of the lovely, happy, positive times – especially if we are feeling low or anxious.’
– Fi Star-Stone
Happy jars are so easy to make! You can make them super-fancy with paints and stickers, or you can just leave them plain and fill with things that make you happy.
I’ve listed a few types of jars to make, so you can choose whichever suits you best, or you can make them all!
You’ll need:
- Glass Jar
- Paints/Glass markers/Stickers
- Post notes or small bits of paper
- Pen/Pencil for writing
Yearly Happy Jar
After you have decorated your Happy Jar, fill it with memories throughout the year. This could be tickets of places you’ve been, boarding passes from holidays taken, photos, drawings or paper notes of fun times shared. Then, on the last day of the year, empty out all of the tickets, photos and paper with memories written down to remind yourself of all the fun and wonderful things that happened during the year.
Happy Mood Boost Jar
Once you’ve decorated your jar – fill it full of lovely things that make you happy. Photos of friends and family you love spending time with. A favourite place, a favourite small item you own, a written down memory or letter. When you are feeling particularly low or rubbish, empty the jar, put on some uplifting tunes, and go through all the lovely things to boost your mood.
Happy Thinky-Thoughts
Once you’ve decorated your jar, use the post notes or bits of paper to write down lots and lots of things that make you happy! What really makes you smile? for me it’s the smell of freshly cut grass on a warm summer’s day, or the sound of my kids laughing. The soft fur behind my dog’s ears or my favourite ‘feel good’ song (Mr blue Sky! Have a listen to it if you’ve never heard it – a real mood lifting song!)
Boredom busting Jar
School breaks can be long and fun, but also there can be some boring days. The boredom jar is ideal for these days! Fill your decorated jar with things to do. Set yourself some mood-boost activity challenges. A bike ride with friends, a family walk for a certain amount of miles, baking a cake or doing something arty. reading a certain amount of books in a week or creating a happy playlist for family to have a kitchen dance to in the evening!
Remember! Talking to others in your life about how you are feeling is the best way to feel better. You never need to feel lost or alone in how you feel. If you don’t feel like talking, then write down your thoughts and feelings to share on paper, in a journal or notebook.
My Thinky-thoughts journal is available on amazon and all good books stores. It’s full of activities and ideas like this one and undated so can be picked up, and started at anytime.
Try some of my other Thinky-Thoughts activities here.