Even though many of us are not gathering as usual this Thanksgiving, I would like to share the “God Box” concept with you once again to help decrease worry and anxiety.
About 10 years ago, while attending a spirituality conference in the Colorado mountains, l was and am still thankful for having been introduced to the “God Box” concept. The sponsoring organization had made several for us attendees to choose from as a free gift–and what a gift it was!
You don’t have to believe in God for this to work. If you don’t have any spiritual beliefs you may wish to think of this Higher Power as:that part of you that is connected with the great intelligence that orders all things or the intelligence that can change a caterpillar into a butterfly. You could also call this your Higher Self Box, or Angel Box–whatever suits you. It doesn’t have to be a box–it could be a jar or bag–whatever is convenient, but it feels good to make it special in some way by using your unique creativity. Thousands of people have found this option powerful..
Here’s how it works–quite simply you write down whatever issue it is that is concerning you that you have been unable to resolve or let go of. You then place the piece of paper in the ‘God Box’ and let it go to a higher power. Whenever you think of your concern again, you just say to yourself, “It’s OK, it’s in my ‘God Box’–I haven’t been able to sort this out, so I’ll let my higher intelligence do it for me”.
You can put anything you like in the box:
worry about the future,
about your health,
worry about your anxiety,
about your children or how to deal with your children
or your relationships
or your tendency to be impatient or lonely or angry,
even where something is that you have mislaid–whatever you like.
The simplicity of this technique seemingly contradicts its power. It combines something of the benefits of journal writing with the huge benefits of being able to let go of thinking about those issues that you cannot or don’t know at present how to change.
By putting thoughts down on paper we give them more structure–we so often keep coming back to the same thoughts again and again in an attempt to sort out our issues.
The mind has the tendency to constantly go off on tangents and writing is one way of bringing much needed focus. The end result is a quieter, more peaceful mind and because we are not so caught up in our worries we are more open to picking up on those things that are going to help us.
Buy the way, the ‘God Box’ is not an excuse for sitting back on your laurels and doing nothing. You continue to make decisions and take action when appropriate.
At times I have forgotten about my ‘God Box’ and once I go back to it, I’ve surprisingly been able to remove a few issues because they’ve been resolved while several need to remain and often I may even need to add a few more. What a beautiful visual and tactile way to let go and let God (or whomever is in charge of your Universe).
Beyond the ‘God Box’ there are many other things I have gratitude for these crazy days:
Everyone who wears a mask no matter what their political affiliation
Technology to enjoy Thanksgiving distantly with family
Mocha, our therapy puppy who gives us much joy and distraction (even though she peed on my bed yesterday–say what?)
Our family is still well and afebrile (without fever)
The social distancing store pickup or delivery options that have been created for us to stay safe
All of our front-line health care workers and teaching staff
Local restaurants and businesses that are still available for take-out
The vaccine scientific world is making good progress–yippy
Covid19 Humor: Is it too early to put up the Christmas tree yet since I have run out of things to do–oh wait–it’s actually time to do that now–who can keep up?
Let’s enjoy our Thanksgiving safely, Warriors. And let’s continue to show our self love and the love of other folks by continuing to wear our masks.