Project You: More than 50 Ways to Calm Down, De-Stress, and Feel Great
3/5
()
About this ebook
Aubre Andrus
Aubre Andrus is an award-winning children’s book author with books published by Scholastic, American Girl, and more. She cherishes her time spent as the Lifestyle Editor of American Girl magazine where she developed crafts, recipes, and party ideas for girls. When she’s not writing, Aubre loves traveling around the world, and some of her favorite places include India, Cambodia, and Japan. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband. You can find her website at www.aubreandrus.com.
Related to Project You
Related ebooks
Rapid Natural Weight-Loss Hypnosis for Women: A 30-Day Challenge to Stop Sugar Cravings and Emotional Eating with Guided Hypnotherapy Meditation and Affirmations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeasonal Awareness and Wellbeing: Looking and Feeling Better the Easy Way Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 10-10-10 Journey: 10 Minutes To Happiness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Daily Happiness Multiplier: 52 Secret Habits to Discover Your True Hidden Potential in Life and Business Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIt's Not About The Food Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The UnAmerican Dream: Finding Personal and Professional Happiness Establishing Work-Life Boundaries Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOops! How to Rock the Mother of All Surprises: A Positive Guide to Your Unexpected Pregnancy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Tell Me to Relax!: One Teen's Journey to Survive Anxiety (And How You Can Too) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUntil He Comes: A Good Girl's Quest to Get Some Heaven on Earth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Forget About Having It All: The Midlife Woman's Guide to Creating the Life You Want Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCome Rain or Come Shine: Friendships Between Women Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJust Tell Me I'm Pretty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRise Again : A Guide for Resilient Women in Chaotic Times: EmpowerHer: A Series on Resilience, Positivity, and Self-Love, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings820 Magic Triggers to Turn Self-care into a Way of Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLipstick and Soul: The Woman's Self-Care Workbook. Inspired by Beauty and the Power of Feminine Presence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrincess Recovery: A How-to Guide to Raising Strong, Empowered Girls Who Can Create Their Own Happily Ever Afters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOops! I Forgot to Save Money Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHappier Now: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Embrace Everyday Moments (Even the Difficult Ones) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You 1, Anxiety 0: Win Your Life Back From Fear and Panic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen Women Rise: Everyday Practices to Strengthen Your Mind, Body, and Soul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe People-Pleasers Guide to Co-Parenting Well: How to Stop Playing Peacekeeper and Start Parenting Peacefully Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalking on Sunshine: 52 Small Steps to Happiness Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What Would Laura Bush Do: The Power of a Role Model Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Am a Feeling Body: Body Awareness and Mindfulness for Children Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHug Therapy: A 21-Day Journey to Embracing Yourself, Your Life, and Everyone Around You Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecrets: A Story of Addiction, Grief & Healing: A Story of Addiction, Grief & Healing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
YA Social Themes For You
The Summer I Turned Pretty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Children of Blood and Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of Darkness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thunderhead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Firekeeper's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Giver: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Powerless Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Toll Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Way I Used to Be Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Better Than the Movies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Face Like Glass Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hate U Give: A Printz Honor Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Witch of Blackbird Pond: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Is Where It Ends Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gallant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5They Both Die at the End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Prince: New Translation by Richard Mathews with Restored Original Art Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ace of Spades Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Giver Quartet Omnibus Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elsewhere: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter of the Pirate King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poet X Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All American Boys Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty Little Liars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Monday's Not Coming Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SLAY Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Delirium Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Monster: A Printz Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter of the Siren Queen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Project You
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Project You - Aubre Andrus
purpose.
Take Control
Your first task? Find a solution that will help you set out on a path toward relaxation, peace of mind, and happiness. The following pages are filled with activities, exercises, advice, prompts, crafts, playlists, and recipes that can help you get there.
These do-right-now projects can help you manage your time, become more productive, and can help motivate you to try something new. Scroll through and choose the project that speaks to you most in this moment. If that exercise doesn’t do the trick, try something else!
If you struggle with stage fright or public speaking makes you squirm → try the breathing exercises by pressing here.
If you’re freaking out about tomorrow’s test → try the progressive muscle relaxation by pressing here.
If you’re feeling fed up → try the loving-kindness meditationby pressing here.
If you’re so worried that you can’t fall asleep → follow the 60-Minute Wind-Down by pressing here.
If you’re completely unorganized → try to prepare better by pressing here.
If you can’t decide between two things → learn tips on decision-making by pressing here.
If you’re unsure of your future → learn how to make a vision board by pressing here.
If you’re feeling self-conscious or jealous → turn to Stop Comparing
by pressing here.
If you can’t find anything in your bedroom → press here for organization tips.
If your whole body feels tense → press here for massages you can give yourself.
If you feel like you’re lacking a purpose → learn more about volunteer opportunities by pressing here.
If you’re feeling drained → listen to the uplifting music listed here.
If you hate everything in your closet → learn how to simplify by pressing here.
If you’re totally overwhelmed → learn how to meditate here.
If you’re afraid to stand out → learn how to improve your posture by pressing here.
If you’re feeling stuck → try a 30-day challenge found here.
Meditate
Breath awareness is a core formal mindfulness practice. It is called a formal practice because you set aside time to do it every day. Start with 5 minutes and then add a few minutes each day until you’re practicing for 20 minutes or more.
You use your breath in this practice as an anchor to the present moment because it’s easy — you always have it with you. Breath and other physical sensations always exist in the present moment. Through feeling the sensation of your breath, you’re training your mind to be in the present.
First, find a comfortable place to sit. This can be on a cushion on the floor, or on a chair or couch. If you’re sitting on a chair or couch, sit so that your feet are flat on the floor and you’re sitting toward the front of the surface and not leaning against the back. Your hands can be relaxed in your lap or on your thighs — whatever is most comfortable for you. Check to make sure your shoulders are relaxed and not hunched. Your eyes can be open or closed. If they’re open, keep your lids slightly lowered, and pick a place a few feet in front of you on the floor to rest your gaze.
The important thing is that you’re sitting in a position where you can be alert. Mindfulness is about observing our moment to moment experience, and if we’re not aware and alert, we can’t do that. We’ll just drift away into our thoughts.
Now bring your attention to your breath in the place where you can most easily notice it. This might be at the tip of your nose as you’re breathing in, or at your lips as you’re breathing out through your mouth, or it might be in the slight rising and falling of your chest as you breathe, or maybe even in your diaphragm area just under your rib cage.
Feel your breath as you breathe in and as you breathe out. See if you can feel your breath from the very beginning of your in-breath to the very end of your out-breath, even noticing the place where your in-breath turns into your out-breath. Notice the movement of your breath, the temperature of your breath, and maybe even the texture of your breath.
Do this for each breath, noticing how each breath rises and falls away and noticing the space in between breaths.
You’ll soon be aware that your mind has drifted and you’re thinking about something. When you notice this, simply direct your attention back to your breath. No need to judge yourself or feel like you’re a bad meditator.
This is what the mind does: it wanders.
Continue doing this — feeling your breath, noticing that your mind has wandered, and gently guiding your attention back to your breath. Think of your breath like a puppy on a leash. The puppy runs off, and you gently guide it back with the leash. It soon runs off again, and once again you gently guide it back.
That’s it! Pretty simple, right? When you are in the moment, you are not dwelling on something that happened in the past or worrying about something that might happen in the future. Research has shown that when our minds wander, they tend to go to these places of worry and regret. So by gently guiding your attention back to the present moment, through paying attention to physical sensations like your breath, you are letting go of the thought processes that cause stress.
Everyday Mindfulness Practice
Mindfulness is about being in the present moment with an attitude of curiosity and without judgment. In other words, noticing what you’re doing as you’re doing it. Since physical sensations (hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, tasting) always take place in the present moment, physical sensations can bring you to the present moment. The more you stay in the present moment, the more you’ll let go of stressing about things that may happen in the future or things you might regret about the past. This is why a lot of research has shown that people who practice mindfulness are less depressed, less anxious, and less stressed.
There are many ways that you can practice mindfulness informally
during your day. You can practice mindfulness at any time: while you’re walking to class, talking with friends, or playing sports. Here you will find a few examples of in-the-moment mindfulness practices.
On your way to school
This is a good practice to do if you’re riding (not driving!) in a car or bus or even walking out in nature. Pay attention to sounds that you hear. Notice sounds that are nearby and sounds that are far away. Notice how they may fade in and then fade away. See how many different sounds you can hear… Take a minute or two just to listen.
When you’re having lunch
Eating is a great time to be mindful! As you are about to take a bite of an apple or raise a potato chip to your mouth, first notice the feeling of the food in your hand. Is it heavy? Light? Smooth? Rough? As you bring the food to your lips, notice if there’s an aroma coming from the food. Sometimes it can be very strong, and other times it is subtle. When you bring the food to your lips and take a bite, notice all the sensations in your mouth. Sweet? Salty? Juicy? As you slowly chew, pay attention to the multitude of sensations that are present in your mouth. Notice when that one bite eventually dissolves and is gone. How does it feel in your mouth at that point? Now take another bite, paying attention to the same sensations.
During an argument
This practice is very helpful when you feel yourself getting upset. Immediately bring your attention to any place where your body has contact with something solid like the floor, a chair, or a table. Notice the feeling of your feet on the floor, your legs against the chair, or your hand on the table. Investigate what those physical sensations are like. Is the table cold to your touch? Is the chair hard? You can even bring your awareness to your breath and pay attention to the sensations of your in-breath and out-breath for several slow breaths. This will help keep you in the present and de-escalate any rising negative emotions.
Strike a (Yoga) Pose
"It does not matter how