There are times throughout a day when, for one reason or another, we might not feel 100% at our best. Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep the night before, or you’re going through problems in your personal life. Maybe you need to tap into how your body is feeling at this moment. No matter what it is that’s making you feel unsettled, taking a little time to reset can make a huge difference.
Fortunately, there are lots of little things you can do to boost your mood, even if you only have five minutes. To help, we’re sharing exercises from You Always Feel Better When…, our new guided journal. Each prompt is a super simple way to feel more energized, more optimistic, more at home in your body. Collectively, they are an opportunity to remember that a little intention can go a long way when it comes to tending to your well-being.
Try a few activities and discover how doing something small can change your whole day for the better.
You always feel better when… you meet a need.
EXERCISE 1:
Take a moment to tune in to yourself… and give yourself something you’ve been asking for.
- Tune in to the needs of your body for a moment: your needs for food, water, physical comfort…
- Tune in to the needs of your mind for a moment: your needs for creativity, challenge, accomplishment…
- Tune in to the needs of your spirit for a moment: your needs for connection, belonging, and love…
- Which need is feeling biggest to you? How would you like to meet it?
You always feel better when you… focus on breathing.
EXERCISE 2:
You’ve been breathing without thinking about it for as long as you’ve been alive. What happens when you pay closer attention?
- Breathe out completely.
- Inhale while you count to four.
- Hold your breath while you count to four.
- Exhale for a count of four.
- Hold your breath for a count of four.
- You’ve just done one round of “box breathing.” You can repeat this if it feels good to you.
Is there a different set of counting that feels better? Experiment with longer or shorter counts, to find the one that your system responds to.
You always feel better when you… clean something up.
EXERCISE 3:
It just feels good when your physical and digital spaces are a little less cluttered. Offer yourself one of the following quick resets:
- File five emails.
- Sort, shelve, or put five things away.
- Clean a surface (sink, stove top, microwave) for five minutes.
- Take five minutes for a self-care task (combing your hair, brushing and flossing your teeth).
- Take five minutes to begin a larger job (putting in a load of laundry, starting the dishwasher).
You always feel better when you… follow your feelings.
EXERCISE 4:
Take a moment to get to know your own internal weather a little bit better.
- What’s a feeling you’d like to pay closer attention to right now?
- If this feeling had a color, shape, and/or texture, how would you describe it?
- Where in your body does this feeling live?
- As you pay close attention to it for a moment, what happens?
- If this feeling were asking you to do something, what would it be?
Just taking a moment to connect with yourself, discover what needs aren’t being met, and identify what you’re feeling can help you make little shifts and improvements. We hope these guided exercises serve you in this process. If you’d like to discover more exercises from this journal, you can find them here.
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