How about taking an awe walk?
We’re not going anywhere, any time soon and we have to accept that fact. But even with our limits and restrictions, for the sake of mental health, we most definitely need to keep on moving.
Friends have restarted their work (out) from home days. I’m not prone to sporty bursts, but I know that endorphins truly relieve (work) stress and pain. So I’m attempting this concept of slow jogging, which is most popularised in Fukuoka, Japan.
If you’re not one to run around, there’s also the concept of the awe walk as a means of improving your well-being through growing moments of positive feelings. Look for things that are unexpected, hard to explain and delightful on your awe walk.
Claremont McKenna College’s psychologist Piercarlo Valdesolo notes that by doing so, one becomes more concerned about the collective, and “you kind of get out of your own head, to put it simply”.
For example, take a moment and find a crack in the sidewalk, where a weed is poking out. I sometimes just sit or stand in the sun for 3-5 minutes to recharge. Yes, kind of like a plant even in the dastardly Singapore weather. You never know whether that fleeting tail of an idea, that forgotten (good) memory could quietly surface and, really, wouldn’t that be a joyful moment?
Another idea for taking that next 30 minute break, could be to walk familiar routes in reverse. If it’s familiar (and c’mon people in Singapore, it’s surely ok?) there will all the more be the opportunity to see something new that you may have missed going from A to B all the time.
Ordinary moments can boost your mood, if you let go, and let them. I know how hard it can be to “just” let go.
On stretching your mind
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Cabin fever is real, but give some credit to your imagination for a break: Before travel took a long pause, I would love holding a paper map from Herb Lester, besides swooning over the art work and succinct descriptors.. just walking to learn about a new place (safely, with common sense please!) always made me so heady and excited.
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For those who prefer guided help to destress: Pinterest has done up a pretty (as expected) and easily understandable support page for mental health, with an approachable modular style that gently addresses various topics with prompts, own time own target style.
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For those missing nature sounds and water trickling through rivers: take time and free your mind to play with NPR’s Joy Generator.
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On joyspotting: Positivity researchers call the benefits of joyspotting “upward spirals”. Emotions have feedback loops: when we feel a burst of joy, it makes us more attentive to joy in our surroundings, and more likely to engage in behaviors that help us find more joy. Why not try Ingrid Fetell Lee’s guided worksheet?
Leaving you with reminders for self-care,
Medhā