Mindful Moments
Breaks are crucial for keeping ourselves focused and functional throughout the day. For me, a quick mindful moment helps manage stress and allows for some space for creative ideas to percolate. It’s especially required when we feel our mind at a blank, incapable of finding solutions. They can help increase attention, reduce fatigue, and help us concentrate. Brain breaks are a great way to help everyone feel better and get their tasks done each day. Brain breaks absolutely work wonders. They help me and I’ve seen it help kids of all ages! It can be easy and fun to take a short mindful moment and reboot your system. While we all have our preferred ways to take a quick break from school or work, we can see the effectiveness and necessity of taking frequent little snack sized breaks. Here are a few to try and see what works for you. These are great for kids, and also fun for adults as well. Returning to a child like place for just a moment and looking at the world from a new perspective can be a great way to recharge.
Five Senses Scavenger Hunt:
Find something you can see. Find something you can smell. Find something you can taste. Find something you can hear. Find something you feel or touch.
Look Through A New Window:
Pick a window and spend a few minutes looking outside. Notice what's happening. What colors, shapes, textures, or patterns do you see? Do you notice anything new? Count how many colors you can see.
Five Finger Breathing:
Stretch your hand out like a star. With your pointer finger on your other hand, start at the bottom of your thumb and slowly trace your thumb while breathing in through your nose. Then, breathe out through your mouth as you slide down the other side. Keep going until you’ve traced your entire hand.
Paint:
Imagine you’re holding a paintbrush in your hand. In the air, draw an animal, a person, or anything else you would like!
Hand On Heart:
Jump up and down or do jumping jacks for one minute. When you're done, place your hand on your heart. Pay attention to how your heartbeat and your breathing feel. Fast or slow?
Spaceship:
Close your eyes and imagine you are in a spaceship. You can travel anywhere you would like! Begin counting down from 10 to 1... and then off you go! When you land at your destination, look around. Describe what you see in detail. Remember to take deep breaths. Then return back home feeling relaxed and calm.
Breathing Colors:
Close your eyes. Breathe in slowly through your nose and imagine you are breathing in a color (any color you would like). Breathe out slowly through your mouth and imagine you are breathing out a different color. Repeat two times.
Standing Like A Tree:
Stand up straight. Pretend your legs are the roots of a tree. Reach your arms up high as if they are tree branches. Start swaying your body side to side as if you are a tree blowing in the wind.
Maintaining a healthy balance can be so challenging, yet it is so important. Mindful brain breaks can go a long way to helping both kids and adults feel happier and healthier and build resistance to daily stress. Taking a break from whatever it is you’re working on for just a few minutes helps your brain refocus and reset. Plus, it can be a lot of fun!
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