Usually when we think of “surrender” we think “defeat.” Yet, there’s a way to look at surrender that is more positive – the Buddhist concept of surrender as “letting go.” Recently, I read an entry in a blog I like called Daily Om about a tool called a Surrender Box. The author tells us: “A surrender box is a tool to let go of our burdens so the universe can take care of them for us.

There are times when our minds become too full. Our to-do lists, worries, plans, and dreams may be so crowded together in our heads that we don’t have room to think. We may believe that we are somehow taking care of our desires and concerns by keeping them at the forefront of our minds. In maintaining our mental hold on every detail, however, we may actually delay the realization of our dreams and the resolution of our worries because we won’t let them go. At times such as these, we may want to use a surrender box.

How does it work? We write down what we want or need to happen and then place the note into a box. By writing and placing our thoughts in the box, we are taking action and letting the universe know we need help and are willing to surrender our anxiety or need to control outcomes. We give ourselves permission to lay down that problem and trust that the universe to help us. 

Your surrender box is a sacred container for your worries. Not only do you free up space in your mind by letting go of your worries and desires and dropping them into your surrender box, but you are giving your burden over to the Universe so you can be more fully present in each moment.

Surrendering our worries and concerns and placing them in the hands of the universe doesn’t mean that we’ve given up or have been defeated. Instead, we are releasing the realization of our desires and the resolution of our worries, to the extent possible, and no longer concerning ourselves with their outcomes.” 

Here’s a photo of my surrender box. Give it a try.