A Fun Technique to Relax the Mind and Sharpen Awareness

Written by Heather Nodello

One way to survive the current emotional and mental shifts is to allow your mind space to relax. To do this, some of us need direction or something practical 'to do’. Below you will find a fun and easy technique you can use to practice at home.

Every day spend some time noticing the small things around you. As your mind becomes accustomed to focusing on one task, you’ll be able to increase the length of time that you actively engage in thought. In time it will become soothing for your mind to slow down. As you become familiar with the technique, challenge yourself to seek out specific things in your world such as a certain colour.

When I first started learning this technique I enjoyed using an exercise from the book How To Change Your Life By Doing Absolutely Nothing (Salmanshon, 2002) called “Mellow Yellow”. This exercise consists of doing nothing but looking for the colour yellow in your immediate surroundings. At first it seems easy, but your mind will quickly challenge itself to find more subtle things. You can of course, change the colour, shape, or size as you progress. The goal is to pick one thing and be aware of where it is around you. Soon enough the habit of ‘stopping to smell the roses’ will become integrated and you will be able to calm your mind simply by connecting to your surroundings.