TeenHelp - clay stones with affirmations, mantras, etc

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clay stones with affirmations, mantras, etc

Hey all of you lovely people,

Soooooo....I can't say I've been free from self harm entirely. I still have been cutting myself and skin picking though not nearly as much as I used to. Anyway...

I've been having this thought for a while to do this thing, finding rocks and washing them then painting on them and writing positive messages then hiding them in parks and public spaces among all the other rocks and have people find them. I really love that idea. I feel like if someone was having a bad day and then finds a stone with a positive message, it can really help someone even if it can't necessarily change the situation. It might help someone shift their perspective of just feel cared about. And I love doing things like that to brighten people's day even if it is anonymously done and may never meet the person

Then today at the treatment program, we were given clay and prompted to write affirmations or mantras (how interesting that this week especially ibe been thinking of doing this project durine my free time and even started planning to start looking for smooth rocks outside and think of places to hide them.

Today we only shaped them and thought about ideas. Next week when the clay is dried we paint and write it out. But had me wondering like wow clay is SO much easier than painting on natural rocks. However the ones we were making today are meant for us to keep not necessarily to hide in nature. I don't want to be unfriendly to the environment so I'm hesitating to use manufactured clay for the hidden stones project but as a personal item for ourselves to carry with, sounds like a great idea.

Do any of you have store bought or hand made stones with messages on them? Do you find them helpful for coping with stress?

Have you ever tried the hidden stone idea or do you keep the stone for yourself?

I am curious how it will turn out. I would also love to see a Teenhelp article about this if we don't already have one because I feel like it might be helpful? I wouldn't mind writing it myself or co-writing with someone. We can include both methods of clay and the natural rock methods. And we can include do'a and don'ta for safety and for staying eco-friendly like not using glitter if you plan on hiding them around in public places because glitter can be harmful to the environment.

Do you think having an article in the Teen help article section about this can be helpful for those of you searching for coping skills that involve an arts and crafts activity? Or just for the purpose of having a personalized product at the end? (What I mean is that the coping can be two fold because art making process is a SH alternative in itself and then there's the product to be carried with and used as well)