12 Dec MIND VACATION MINDFUL EXERCISE
MIND VACATION MINDFUL EXERCISE
INSTRUCTIONS: MIND VACATION MINDFUL EXERCISE
Take a vacation to soothe your feelings of stress, worry and anxiety.
Growing mindful is so healthy as a practice.
This is a mindful activity designed to calm you and feel the freedom of a vacation..
Close your eyes
Visualise the moment you decide to take a vacation.
Decide where you would like to go.
Get yourself ready by visualising your surroundings: you have your luggage, your ticket, your passport, your sun hat, and anything else to remind you of that feeling that you get just before you go on vacation. Exciting.
Now visualise you have tied up your loose ends. You cleaned your home, you paid your last bills, put all the washing away and done everything you need so that you don’t take any stressors with you.
Place yourself in this moment (using your own mind’s eye). Now you can get ready for your mind vacation…
Imagine the following sequence of mindful events: MIND VACATION MINDFUL EVENTS
- Ensure you are sitting in a safe and comfortable position, free from disturbances so that you can continue on our journey.
- Picture yourself already at the airport, ready to board the plane. You know you are surrounded by people but you pay little attention to them.
- You have your best company with you….your “self”.
SELF
- You acknowledge that its been a while since you have taken a rest from your busy life, and how nice it is that you can now switch off and tune into your own self wellness.
- As you buckle yourself into the seat on the airplane, You immediately detach from your belongings as you sit down and sink into your seat with permission to do nothing else except feel lost. And at the same time, feel found.
- Notice your legs and how they feel, notice your arms and the way they are happy to do nothing. Notice your breathing is the loudest part of your body.
- Its like you need to rest and recover from a fast pace walk, yet you did not do this. So you enjoy that your breath is talking to you. What could it be saying?
- Could it be saying “finally I can release all the stressors that my body was holding”.
- How good does this feel, and you have not even taken off yet.
GET READY
- In a short time you are now in the air. You are not “grounded” and so this “lost in space” feeling feels right, at least for this moment in time.
- You have permission to do nothing and rest before you get to your destination.
- Then, you almost feel disturbed as the plane begins to land, as you were having so much enjoyment by just being a passenger on the plane.
- So now you reach your destination and you are exactly at that place that you planned for.
- You settle in to your room, and then you begin your vacation. You do all the things that you plan and you can visualise the way you are dressed and the way you walk. Notice the weather that surrounds you and the sounds that you hear.
- Fill your body and your mind with all the calm, all the peace, all the joy.
- Notice how it feels, is it warm? Is it cool?
- What is the expression on your face?
- Breathe in all the senses that accompany you and take visual photos so that you can visit them anytime, especially on your way home.
- Take your time and do all the things that you need to do. Try different foods, and smell different scents. Be in the moment during each moment.
- Spend some time here …take as long as you need.
- When you are ready, find a spot to write on with your finger. You can use sand, dirt, or even the air, and write a small memo about how nice your vacation was. Do this now.
GET READY
- Now you are ready to come home, and you look forward to this too.
- You come right back home, safe and sound, with a beautiful smile.
- Feeling fresh and brand new.
- Nice and relaxed.
- Now you can open your eyes.
- Be sure to take this mind vacation often.
To learn more visit mindful.org
Check out my blog on self compassion and mindfulness for teens
Amanda Dounis
Positive Thinking Clinic
1/7 Magdalene Terrace
Wolli Creek, 2205
0458 850 850
amanda@positivethinkingclinic.com.au