Mindfulness in a Jar: 21 Days to a More Thankful and Grateful You

Years ago, I found myself wanting more than just a moment to relish in a thankful moment or a grateful thought when something good happened in my life.

I usually tend to have thanks and gratitude for even the smallest things: a beach day, BOGO deals at my local grocery store, every light turning green for me when driving somewhere, sparkling water.

After a while, with my attention focused on working two full-time jobs, caring for a family and running a household all at the same time single-handedly, I would eventually forget what happened for me to have that gratitude and thanks.

Things get busy in our lives, workdays run later than expected, we get tired, we have more to-dos to finish once we get home after leaving the office, and sometimes we just forget.

I wanted to remember those little moments in my life that were worth celebrating…even for a few minutes when they happened.

But I wanted to do this in a unique and fun way!

Enter the “gratitude jar.”

A bright backdrop highlights a light bulb, offering a clear view of the filament inside. — ^{An idea I had sparked the idea for my gratitude jar.}

I got this idea from a manager one day at work. She had a jar on the front desk where customers would drop their business cards in to take a chance on winning the holiday raffle for a prize.

I thought, instead of business cards, why not make my own type of raffle jar but center it around myself being mindful and what I was grateful and thankful for.

Why 21 days?

Well, according to SelfMasteryCentral.com, “the science behind 21 days of positive thinking is based on the idea of neuroplasticity, which means that the brain can change and adjust. Positive thinking can actually change the way our brains work if we do it every day for 21 days.”

The repetitiveness of doing something over and over again for several days forms a habitual pattern of behavior.

In this post, I’ll explain the benefits of using a gratitude jar, how to make one from beginning to end, some ideas to decorate to make it personalized and unique, and some great uses for it.

A young blonde woman with shoulder-length hair smiles as she sits amidst a field of wildflowers, surrounded by Monarch butterflies. — ^{When practicing gratitude, we can gain many benefits from it including happiness and lowered stress.}

Benefits of Using a Gratitude Jar

Utilizing a gratitude jar does come with some pretty interesting advantages. From having fun and stretching our creative side, to health bonuses, to enjoying the act of giving to someone you care about, there are many reasons creating and either using or gifting one of these intriguing jars:

1. Creative Fun

Tapping into your creative side, or as it is commonly called, your “right brain”, allows us to delve into the artistic parts of the mind.

In an article from NeuroLaunch.com, their post on right brain activity and creativity explains, “In the realm of visual arts, the right hemisphere truly shines. It processes visual information holistically, allowing artists to see the big picture and create compositions that resonate on an emotional level.”

Involving yourself in any artistic project, specifically art creation in this case, stimulates the visual senses and right brain imagination.

In addition to art and creation, this side of our amazing right brain also includes artistic capabilities and insights involving not only art, but music, painting, drawing, sketching, and other creative projects.

2. Making Memories

Utilizing a gratitude jar also has a large part in making memories. This strengthens relationships both with the act of giving it as a gift and using it for our own gratitude reminder on a daily basis.

It becomes a visual representation of things we consider important enough to be grateful for in our lives. We can be reminded of the important things and people in our lives and later review what made us feel that way and indulge, if you will, in those thoughts and offerings.

A blonde mother and daughter are smiling as the mother presents her daughter with a gratitude jar adorned with a label and a pink ribbon. The mother is dressed in a dark gray long-sleeved sweater, while the daughter wears a three-quarter sleeve black cotton blouse. — ^{Gifting a gratitude jar to someone you care about is a meaningful and special way to grow closer.}

3. Health Benefits

Believe it or not, there are a number of benefits to using and/or gifting gratitude jars.

This includes self-care practices which help to keep us focused on what’s going right in your life versus bad things. This helps us to keep us present and “in the now,” emotionally balanced, and staying mindful in our lives.

PursuePerformance.co m has a great post on their website about how regular practice of gratitude can rewire the brain. In their article, they reveal, “When you practice gratitude regularly, the brain becomes more adept at recognizing and focusing on positive experiences. This is partly due to the process of synaptic plasticity, where connections between neurons become stronger and more efficient.“

The article further goes on to talk about stress reduction, “When you experience gratitude, the brain activates the hypothalamus, a region that plays a central role in the stress response. Gratitude can help dampen the stress response, reducing the release of stress hormones like cortisol. This has a calming effect on the body, reducing feelings of anxiety and helping you manage stress more effectively.”

4. The Simple Enjoyment of Giving

Reinforcing the good feeling emotions of happiness and tranquility is another feel-good benefit of using and/or gifting a gratitude jar.

Not only are we gaining happiness and fulfillment by offering kindness to ourselves and/or others, but it also helps us to have a higher awareness of things and people to be grateful for.

There’s something about gifting a gratitude jar. I have done this a few times over the years, and the expression on the recipient’s face is always one of curiosity, appreciation, and wonder.

A woman in her sixties is seated at a desk in her home office, which is lined with shelves. She is presenting a gratitude jar she crafted herself and is smiling warmly at the camera. — ^{A gratitude jar serves a reminder of things we want to focus on and good habits we want to create.}

5. Serves as a Physical Reminder

The gratitude jar helps us also remember daily the things for which we are grateful. We see the jar, we see the bound slips of paper inside the jar, and all we have to do at that point is retrieve a slip of paper and date it, then write what we are grateful for in that moment.

Or, open one of the written-on folded slips of paper already inside the jar, reread it, and take a moment or two to feel the gratitude you get from that day’s entry.

Doing something like this daily for at least 21 days instills in our brain a habitual action that eventually becomes an actual habit. And that’s what we’re trying to achieve here.

A light brunet woman in her 30s sits at a white oak wooden desk with pen in hand jotting on a notepad. — ^{Planning on forming healthy habits is essential to keep ourselves motivated to follow through.}

6. Trains You to Form Healthy Habits

Any healthy habit we form is crucial to our general well-being. And training our brain to form a habit that is not only healthy, but efficient is what we want to do.

Just like when we workout, our brain can also be trained. Consistent practice of a healthy habit can rewire the way we think for the better.

All we have to do is commit to making the change, be kind and gentle with ourselves as we adapt to the physical and mental actions involved and follow through.

The rewarding sense of accomplishment and achievement waiting for us at the other end will be worth the wait!

Two individuals' hands are depicted utilizing a glue gun to fasten twine around a sizable glass jar. A sprig of dried leaves rests upon a white maple table. — ^{Get creative with your own personal style by adorning your jar with embellishments from the craft store.}

How to Make a Gratitude Jar

In an earlier post, I mentioned gratitude jars and how gifting one to somebody is one of several practices to have more gratitude in our lives. (You can see that here.)

But how does one actually make a gratitude jar? Here are the simple steps:

1. Finding Your Jar

There are lots of places to find that perfect jar for your project. Try a local craft store, discount retailer, or dollar store to keep your budget in check.

If you want to spend more on the jar alone, you can search available containers at specialty stores or home retailers. Sometimes, you can even find them at your local nursery or florists on occasion.

2. Decide on a Theme

The theme of your gratitude jar is where the creative side of this begins. Choose a theme, then buy what you want to use to decorate your jar with. Personalizing the jar is what makes it so special.

Whether it’s for your personal use, or to give to someone else, the theme will remind the user on a daily basis to write that grateful statement, drop it into the jar, and continue that habit moving forward.

Here are a handful of theme ideas to get you started…

Sports Themes: Football, hockey, tennis, swimming, or golf

Special Themes: Weddings, engagements, anniversaries, birthdays, graduation,

Holiday Themes: Halloween, Christmas, Hannukah, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving

Seasonal Themes: Spring, fall, winter, summer

Travel Themes: The beach, the mountains, the desert

Personal Interest Themes: Books, music, writing, painting, drawing, or jewelry making

A brunette-haired mother and her two small blonde-haired children are sitting together at a small table, decorating with crafts, colors, and various creative items. — ^{Decorating together can be a healthy and memorable activity.}

3. Decorating Your Jar

Here comes your creative side! Now’s the time to put your chosen theme into action. Once you purchase the supplies needed (I highly recommend having a glue gun and glue sticks on hand to make things easier), you can begin to embellish that jar that’s been waiting to become useful.

There’s no rush on this, only the time pressure you put on yourself. So have fun, take your time, and enjoy the experience as you go through this process.

4. Filling the Jar

When filling the jar, I usually cut 3″x 1″ strips of craft or copy paper (you can use white also if that relates to your theme.) I then bind them together in little stacks with a thin silk unwired ribbon or a sparkly rubber band with rhinestones (yes, those do exist!) before placing those into the bottom of jar.

When done, the jar will not only be ready for use, but it will look like several gifts within the jarred itself with the several bound little stacks of paper in the bottom of the jar.

A pink surface accentuates the array of craft supplies, including ribbons, strings, artificial leaf branches, twinkle lights, a hot glue gun, paper punches, and glitter. — ^{Making a gratitude jar can be a fun and creative activity to do with friends or family.}

Decorating Ideas for Your Gratitude Jar

Now that you know the simple steps to make your own gratitude jar, either for yourself or someone else, here are a few decorating ideas to give that plain glass jar some sparkle and personality.

Some of these ideas would be best suited to intertwine into the ties bow of a ribbon on the front of the jar, while the others are purely for adhering to the glass with a hot glue gun.

Photos, small pendants, charms, buttons, feathers
Rhinestones, sequins, glitter, beads, craft pompoms, pipe cleaners
Dried leaves, flowers, or fruit, craft moss, pinecones, a small branch
Fresh herbs and spices like sprigs of rosemary or cinnamon sticks
Twine, washi tape, floral tape, raffia ribbon, bows, a small taper candle
Gift tags, confetti, stickers, popsicle sticks, googly eyes
Seasonal items like a candy cane, a fresh rose, candy corn, or an ornament
Tulle, lace, burlap, rattan craft ribbon, silk wired and unwired ribbon
A small strand of holiday lights (either plug-in or battery-powered)
Spray paint for changing the lid color) or for use on the jar with stencils)
Cutouts of images from magazines, catalogs, or newspapers, paper cutouts
Seashells, driftwood, or a small starfish that’s been dried out
Small kitchen utensils like a wooden spoon or silver fork

As you can see, there is an unlimited supply of items you can decorate your gratitude jar with. The above is only a small list to help give you some ideas.

On a granite kitchen countertop sits a clear glass mason jar adorned with colorful craft rhinestones. A hot glue gun rests to one side of the counter. In the background, a fruit bowl cradles oranges, and a salt and pepper shaker stand on the opposite side. — ^{A hot glue gun and some colorful rhinestones can make any plain glass jar a festive conversation piece.}

Uses of a Gratitude Jar

The list of uses for a gratitude jar is another way to strike up conversation, strengthen relationships, and feel more gratitude in your own life. Below is a list of some examples to get you started:

Get a group together and have a gratitude jar-making class

Save your gratitude in a time capsule for unearthing years later

Give as a meaningful gift during holidays and special occasions

Use for having daily gratitude at home or the office

Make a holiday gratitude jar and sit it on the dinner table. Ask everyone there to write things they are thankful for throughout the day before everyone is seated later for the meal. Before eating, pass the filled jar around the table and have everyone read a slip of paper out loud.

Use as a conversation starter at a party, or for family meetings to discuss important issues

A man in a grey dress shirt grins beside a woman clad in a pink blouse, each clutching a transparent glass jar brimming with folded slips of pale lavender paper. Encircling the jar's center is a silky purple ribbon, neatly tied into a bow. — ^{Gifting a homemade gratitude jar to somebody shows your creativity and kindness.}

To Keep or To Gift?

So, the only question remaining is what are you going to do with your beautifully decorated personalized gratitude jar?

Whether for your own use to enhance habitual gratitude in your daily life, or to give it away as a special meaningful gift to someone you care about, there will always be a benefit to either action you take.

My Mindful Request:

I want to see your gratitude jars! Send me a photo of your jar creation and tell me if you gifted it to someone or made it to keep for yourself and what the reason for that was.