Your Wellness Whisper
Four minutes to de-stress
Susan here. Today’s Wellness Whisper is via text, and it has an audio of peaceful music that you can play as you practice your self-calming tools. This will take approximately four minutes.
Start by unclenching the muscles in your neck. Drop your head down. Turn to the right. Turn to the left. Look up and hold it for a moment.
Now, you’ll need pen or pencil and paper. Quick, go grab them! :)
Ok… get ready to complain! Go ahead and stomp your feet!
You’re going to create bad art! Yep! A couple minutes of doodling -that you will throw away after - is good for the brain. It centers us. Distracts us. Calms us. And lets us briefly practice mindfulness - staying in the now, in the moment. And it builds our sense of self when we try something new, even if we’re not good at it.
Now, think of a word of intention for your day. There’s no right or wrong, just a word you’d like to have more of today. Calm. Joyful. Creative. Focused. Helpful.
Now write that word 5 times. Start very tiny then repeat it bigger and bigger.
Next, stand up. March in place while you count to 10.
Now, think of a shape. A square, triangle, rectangle, heart, circle… and draw it repeatedly all over your sheet of paper. Big ones. Small ones. Ones that are linked together. Ones that are on top of each other.
Wave your hands over your head. A little more. Now take a slow, deep breath.
Your last doodle. Find a pattern in the room your sitting in. It might be the edge of a picture frame. It might be the design on a throw blanket or quilt. Maybe the rectangles on your closet door. Some brickwork. Shapes on your coffee cup. Or the design in the rug. Or use the one below. Focus on part of it and draw it. Draw it badly! And don’t worry how it turns out because you’re doing something good for your mental wellness!
Close with patting yourself on the back! And say, either out loud or in your mind, “I just did silly things to help me shift gears. I’m good!
And slide back into your day!
Good advice! Thx!