Imagine running into an old friend who feels like soul kin. You haven't seen them in years, and you smile and give the tightest, longest hug. Ahhh... your body beams and feels lighter, energized. Soothed.
Woo-hoo as it may sound, I invite you to consider that our marvelous bodies just might respond to emotions similarly to the way they respond to food nutrients.
Speaking of nurturing nutrients, here's what we'll cover in this post:
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Nurturing our bodies
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Fav ways to breathe, feel calm, & have fun
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Hugging
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Imagination games
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Playing with paint
Nurturing our bodies
Now is definitely a time to be nurturing our bodies, boosting our immune system, and raising the vibe of our overall experience as humans.
To be asking ourselves questions like:
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What can we practice to help our bodies feel calm?
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How can we breathe deeper?
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How can we have fun and experience pleasure... or can we?
YES. Fun is medicine. And pleasure is just as essential as allowing all the uncomfortable emotions.
Breathing, feeling calm, and having fun are baselines. They're daily medicine I couldn't live without, especially now.
Fav ways to breathe, feel calm, & have fun
Here's some of my favorite ways to breathe, feel calm, and have fun. Give them a whirl to add some medicine to your day:
Hugging
Have you noticed how life is the byproduct of interaction? In so many ways; it's a fascinating pattern: Between nutrients and our cells (metabolism), between oxygen and our lungs (breath), between beings (copulation), and between humans, earth and other humans (touch & a resulting cascade of beneficial physiological reactions). We're hard wired for connection as humans. Physical and emotional bonding both increase parasympathetic nervous system activity within our body (the rest, digest, nurture and grow response). Tangible connection with other beings is essential to our comprehensive health. Play with your dog. Smile at a stranger. Hug your friend. Hold your child's hand. Cuddle up with your sweetie and a blanket under the stars.
Imagination games
Wha...?! Yep. Imagination games. Remember when you were a kid? Turning sofas into starships and living rooms into fairylands? Well, not that you need to go all out and erect adult forts in your backyard--leaving the neighbors wondering if you're ok (or, then again, maybe do 😉). But, as adults, we still have the capacity to imagine. And for good reason.
Here's some ways to start: Allow the inner critic to take bench break. Start by giving yourself an hour; or 30 minutes if an hour feels too long. Pen to paper, start with the prompt, "what if... :"
What if you had no responsibilities today? What would you do?
What if you could travel anywhere? What would you want to experience?
What if you could be anything you wanted? What would it feel like? What would you wear? Do? Say? Express?
Get creative. Write your ideas. Imagine.
How does it feel?
Playing with paint
I love paint because it is a wonderful tool for extracting our sometimes ethereal experiences, and clarifying our emotions as tangible textures, colors and gestures for our eyes--and hearts--to explore.
If you're looking for an earth-friendly source of art goodies, check out Natural Earth Paints. I just purchased some oil paints from this company and they're lovely. Plus, because they come in powder form, you can mix only what you need and not worry about them drying out on your pallette. If you're not ready to get fancy, that's ok too. About anything will work: A box of crayons, sidewalk chalk, that pack of colored Sharpies in your junk drawer... or even the ballpoint pen in your purse.
Start doodling. Here's some prompts:
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If a shape represented how you're feeling, what would it be?
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Close your eyes and focus on your heart. What color do you notice?
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Imagine a place you'd like to be. What textures and colors come to mind?
We're going to do more crazy fun things like this together-- to raise the vibe, build connection and clear space to soak up some love nutrients. Join us here.