It was national colour day a few days ago which led me to think about how colours can affect our moods. I try to wear bright colours because it automatically makes me feel more positive and stronger to deal with any daily challenges, but there are other ways to enhance your day through colour.
One thing that has become extremely popular in recent years is mindfulness colouring.
Colouring has always been a hugely popular activity for children and has many benefits for the health and well-being of the child. It’s a very simple task but hugely with rewarding for children and will encourage them to focus and have patience whilst working on their creation. It can build up confidence and self-esteem, partly due to there being no right or wrong answer, but also with the satisfaction of stepping back and proudly showing off their newly created masterpiece. This can lead to a real sense of accomplishment.
So this weeks’ Thought of the Week is this….
If it mindfulness colouring is good for children why not bring it into all of our adult lives? As adults we need downtime and colouring can be so beneficial. It encourages mindfulness by helping you focus on your creation and leave your stresses and strains to one side for a while. It can induce a meditative state in which your thoughts are calmed, your anxiety reduced and your enjoyment of that moment becomes all encompassing and positive.
Choosing colours, styles and themes are all very individual and should be part of the fun of creating your own piece of artwork. These can then be framed and put around your house or even sent to friends who may just need you to brighten their day.
Enjoy this weeks' task! Clear the mental chatter, and keep positive!
W/c 16th October:
Decisions and choices.
My weekend, like most of you I suspect, was full of parenting duties. I was lucky enough to accompany my Son to a Uni Open Day where one of the talks we listened to was partly about decision making.
We were asked a series of questions. My answer to the first question put me in the ‘majority’ group. Other questions were asked and people started changing their thought process. We all made different choices. All our voices were heard and our opinions mattered. Our decisions and choices were valid and we were all brave enough to stop, think and change perspective.
This made me think. My experience over the weekend was hypothetical but what if we took that experience and placed it in real scenarios?
Having the courage to stand up and declare you made the wrong decision or made a bad choice should not define you. What happens after your declaration is what counts!
Sometimes we find ourselves in impossible situations but with thought and support we can make decisions that enable us to take the first step onto a new path. You just need to be brave enough to bring things to a halt, pin point the bad choice and look for that new path to tread. It will be there as long as you are willing to search for it!
Take these thoughts into your week and I hope it’s a fabulous one!
W/c 2nd October:
What if we took some of the fun, freedom and wonder of the weekend and placed it into a working week?
Now there’s a thought for you to carry through this week!
Don’t live for two days of the week. Enjoy all seven. Find something each day that fills you with joy and wonder and makes you smile!
W/c 9th October:
If the strongest muscle in the body is the tongue why don’t we use it to bring more peace to the world.
Of course the flip side of that is sometimes using our tongue (voice) can create a negative impact which seems to be happening across the world at the moment.
So what can we as individuals do to help? Well it’s an impossible task to bring world peace but in our tiny bit of the world we can certainly be kind, bring joy and love to those around us.
Being kind, complimenting someone or just offering a helping hand or some advice will not only boost the recipient’s state of mind but will also bring calm into the giver’s life too!
I met my lovely friend for a coffee. When we met she immediately told me how great I looked. I was less enthusiastic about my appearance, so it was a lovely boost having kind words directed at me!
Be the person to instigate kindness. Use your strongest muscle to help a fellow human this week!