Jessica Hurley - 52 Calming Rituals

52 Calming Rituals

Copyright 2020 by Chronicle Books LLC.

All rights reserved. No part of this deck may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-7972-0902-9 (epub, mobi)
ISBN 978-1-7972-0184-9 (deck)

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Relax your muscles by taking a hot shower or bath, immersing yourself in a bubbling Jacuzzi, or lying in bed with a hot water bottle. If you are feeling ambitious, locate a local hot spring. You can also sweat out tension in a sauna.

When all else fails, theres nothing like a nap to refresh you and shift your perspective. Pull down the blinds and curl up with your favorite blanket. Whenever possible, drink some fresh-squeezed juice upon waking.

Youve probably noticed that music can change your mood, but it can also lower your heart rate and blood pressure. So, make a collection of your most calming and positive music, and try unwinding by listening to it. Classical, jazz, electronic, or even white noisefind the pieces that work best for you. If you need help falling asleep, find music with a rhythm around sixty beats per minute, as this matches a normal resting heart rate and will help slow you down and lull you to sleep.

Get out your box of crayons or colored pencils and de-stress with some doodling or meditative coloring. Play with color or scribble pictures that express your mood. And remember, it doesnt matter if you color inside the lines or not. Experiment with the tools that feel comfortable for you: Bright markers, watercolor, or pen and ink might be more your style.

Check in with parts of your body by pressing muscles in places such as your neck, back, and shoulders, and see if you are storing tension there. Give yourself a mini-massage, or place your hand over the tense spot and visualize letting go of the tension. Breathe deeply as you do this. And when you find yourself in an unpleasant situation, make a concerted effort to remember these stress storage areas and take care of them.

When youre bogged down with negative thoughts, try shifting your mindset with a gratitude list. Writing out a list of people, places, and things youre thankful for can help you see the positive and reframe worries or challenges. Try it at the beginning and end of each day to hit the refresh button regularly.

Before you get out of bed, gently walk through your day in your mind. What would you like to work on or accomplish? How can you remain relaxed and calm? Can you plan a moment to recoup, regroup, and relax in the middle of your schedule? Visualizing the days events can help you approach each moment with intention and create your own destiny for the day.

Find an opportunity to watch nature go about its businesswhether its observing a flock of birds in the sky, fish and turtles in a pond, or insects in a garden. These movements and patterns can be both meditative and perspective-shiftinga welcome reminder that we are all small parts of a much greater world.

Try any of these symbolic rituals to let go of guilt, grudges, expectations, or worries that may be weighing you down: If you are having trouble forgiving someone (or yourself), write a letter expressing why you need to let go. You dont have to deliver the letter; simply writing it will help on its own. You can also try this practice with worries, anxieties, or long-held grievances; list them on a piece of paper and burn it, or smear your words with water. You may be surprised by how much this symbolic act will free you.

Exercise can be a great method of relaxation. The trick is to find a form of physical activity that you enjoy. If traditional workouts arent your thing, you might try yoga, cycling, dance, or a team sport. The release of serotonin will give you a natural high and help you feel strong at the same time.

With the huge amount of stimulus in the world, its easy to go into sensory overload. Isolate your individual sensessight, taste, touch, smell, and hearingand think about how to pamper each one. Try using earplugs or a blindfold to help you focus.

What colors, textures, lighting levels, smells, and sounds relax you? Are there ways to incorporate them in your home or office? Aromatherapy is based on the principle that scents can be combined to evoke a relaxed state of consciousness. Are there certain scents that trigger particularly happy memories for you?

Dance therapy! Close your eyes and let your body express the rhythm of your favorite soothing music in any way it chooses. Clear a safe space and allow yourself to roll on the ground, step back and forth, or twirl in circles. Just be in your body and dont think about what you look like as you move.

Find an object that fits easily in your hand, isnt breakable, and brings you a sense of peace. Smooth stones work well for this. Hold the object in your hands and focus on its properties. Is it cold? Is it rough in spots? Imagine you are the object: What does it feel like to be this stone at this exact moment? Or imagine you can crawl into it. Take this object of relaxation with you when you travel, or keep it in your pocket during stressful situations as a reminder of how you can always find your way back to calm.