Ever wanted a handy tool kit that would help you to get through a particularly stressful day?  If so, you might be in luck! I came across a great exercise that I wanted to share called The Daily Survival Kit.  I am not the originator of this idea and was actually given a version of this kit by a professor when I was in college.   I was so motivated and impressed by it that I kept it and still have it pinned to a cork board in my office (it’s kind of old and dingy now, but still doing its job helping me to stay motivated).  It has definitely been a great tool that I have used in my own daily efforts to think and be positive.

Interested?  You will need to attain certain items to create your kit: 1 Sandwich bag, 1 Toothpick, 1 Rubber band, 1 Band aid, 1 Pencil, 1 Eraser, 1 piece of Chewing gum, 1 Mint, 1 Hershey’s kiss, and 1 Tea bag (any flavor).

Once you have all of the items; place all of the aforementioned items inside of the Sandwich bag along with a sandwich bag-sized copy of the following motivational instructions/poem:

The Daily Survival Kit                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                —Author Unknown

1. Toothpick – to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others

2. Rubber band – to remind you to be flexible: things might not always work out the way you want, but it will work out.

3. Band aid – to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours and someone else’s

4. Pencil – to remind you to list your blessings everyday

5. Eraser – to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it’s OK

6. Chewing gum – to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything

7. Mint – to remind you that you are worth a mint!

8. Candy kiss – to remind you that everyone needs a kiss or a hug every day

9. Tea bag – to remind you to relax daily and go over your list of blessings

Once complete, you should be able to grab your bag full of goodies with its written reminders whenever you need them.  I have found that hanging the baggie at eye level behind my work computer is most effective.  Nothing is more helpful to me in stressful moments than getting a quick glance at the chewing gum and the instructions written behind it telling me to “stick with it”.  Certain reminders on the list might be more noticable to you than others on days when you need them to be . 

Enjoy!