Author: Sitong Yang
1. Take three deep breaths. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.
(Breathing is good, positive, and simple. It keeps us alive. And it is so easy for us to forget we are actually breathing. So let’s start with some deep breaths and focus on it, on this present moment, on the feeling of air flowing into your body. Here are some possible outcomes: calm the nerves that are agitated by Covid-19, regulate the high blood pressure that is raised by racism, and improve the mental clarity that is messed up by insufficient sleep.)
2. Smile.
(Trust me, even when you are actually sad, a fake one will help. And fake it till you make it. You are powerful enough to trick your brain and make it believe that you are happy and you deserve to be happy. It’s like the famous research that shows people will be more confident and perform better in a task after doing a superhero posture for 30 seconds. So smile and boost your emotion.)
3. Art and music.
(Sometimes we all need to escape from the real world and jump into the utopia of art and music. Enjoying art and music is a good mediator for meditation and relaxation. You can create. Get a pen and a piece of paper and draw what you observe or what you think, to remind yourself of the beautiful details you always ignore. Or open the Band App on your phone and try out every instrument you can find. You can appreciate. Seattle Art Museum, Frye Art Museum, and Olympic Sculpture Park are always your top choices. Cell phone, theater, and nature are where you can find great music. Let your mind be present and listen. If you need a guide, Plus One Foundation also provides excellent art therapy and music therapy to help people with neurological disorder. Check our website for more information: https://www.plusonefoundation.org/ )
4. Go out.
(If you are not feeling good or start to dislike the world, turn on the engine of your body and go out to enjoy spring. Maybe just a 15 min walk around the neighborhood, or a 2-hour drive to the national park. It is time to go out and observe the texture of the tree, smell the scent of flower and grass, and let the wind touch your face. Staying in nature will make you grateful again.)
5. Physical activity.
(There are a million benefits of physical activity: improve your balance, slow down the neuro-degenerative symptoms, improve the emotional well-being…find our more professional suggestions here. Therefore, Plus One Foundation has been providing aquatic therapy and horse-riding service to enrich lives of our clients and improve their physical and mental status. This June, we will hold another important event Hit the Deck for a Decade to encourage participants engage in physical activity and raise the funds for our organization. The funds will continue to help us provide our clients with more and better services. So follow us on social media and join us this June to make you, us, them feel better.)