mindfulness for uncertain times

Self-Compassion News Break

An image of a girl hugging herself. She’s wearing a pink sweater and looks content.

An image of a girl hugging herself. She’s wearing a pink sweater and looks content.

This exercise is an adapted form of Dr. Kristen Neff’s Self-Compassion Break, featured on https://self-compassion.org/exercise-2-self-compassion-break/ 

If you feel distress after listening to, reading, or watching the news, you are not alone. It’s okay to feel this way, and it’s also okay to look for healthy ways to cope. 

First, take a big, deep breath in through your nose, counting to four. Hold your breath for a second or two, and then breathe out slowly through your mouth, counting to four. 

Next, think about how the news has made you feel. Acknowledge this suffering by writing down how you feel. For example: This hurts, I feel angry, or I am so sad that this has happened.

Next, take a moment to remember that you are not alone. Remember that you do not have to carry the burdens of the world alone, and there are many people helping to make things better. There are many people struggling with the same difficult emotions, and you are not alone in feeling this way. Repeat to yourself: I am not alone. Write down some good wishes you have for other people who are struggling. This is compassion. 

Finally, extend this compassion to yourself. Ask yourself, What good things do I want for myself? Write down these good wishes, for example: May I have hope. May I find rest. May I find energy and opportunities to do good things that bring me joy. May I find the beauty in all things. 

Take four more deep breaths. If possible, take a break from the media after doing this meditation. Take a stretch break, eat a snack, read a book--Do something kind for yourself.



This prompt was written by Grace Ferber, a Words Alive volunteer

A Lesson in Self-Love

A Lesson in Self-Love

“Sadly, there is no one we treat as badly as we treat ourselves,” Kristin Neff, who researches compassion, says. Let’s fix that and practice some self love and compassion!

Gratitude as a Mindfulness Practice

Gratitude as a Mindfulness Practice

Did you know, the simple act of expressing gratitude can actually raise our happiness levels? It’s true! Research shows that when we choose to focus on the gifts in our lives, we experience improvements in our health and overall well-being. Make it Lit and start a gratitude journal!

Body Scan

Post by Mindfully Empowered in partnership with Words Alive!

One way to help give that worrying or ruminating mind a break is to cultivate body awareness through a Body Scan practice. In this practice, we allow ourselves to experience how different parts of our body feel, without trying to do or change anything. It’s about noticing and accepting what is already there. The main intention of a body scan is to explore our sensory experience — to experience how it is to “be a body.”  This practice also helps us learn to identify what we are feeling and where we are feeling it, so that we can begin to release the stress and tension that often runs rampant in our bodies and minds.


Make it Lit with Words Alive!

Writing Extension: You’ve spent some time noticing how each part of your body feels. Now, turn that experience into a fun creative writing exercise. Write a short story from the perspective of one body part. For example, write as if you were “neck” and discuss the reasons why you might be feeling so much tension: “Stooped down, looking at a phone for hours, it’s no wonder I’m crooked and sore all the time. But this morning, I noticed a new tension. Are you stressed about something?” Have fun with it and be sure to explore where the feeling in your body stems from.

Mindfulness Makes Perfect "Sense"

Mindfulness Makes Perfect "Sense"

You can do this 5 senses practice anywhere from your bedroom, backyard, looking out the window or a walk around the block. Start by taking a deep breath and then notice each of your senses. Make it Lit: Write about an emotion using this poetry template that incorporates the 5 senses.

Just Breathe

Just Breathe

Try these breathing exercises to help quiet your mind and to stay in control of your thoughts and actions. Make it Lit: Read a poem “Keeping Quiet” by Pablo Neruda and journal.