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    Project You: More than 50 Ways to Calm Down, De-Stress, and Feel Great
    Project You: More than 50 Ways to Calm Down, De-Stress, and Feel Great
    Project You: More than 50 Ways to Calm Down, De-Stress, and Feel Great
    Ebook221 pages1 hour

    Project You: More than 50 Ways to Calm Down, De-Stress, and Feel Great

    By Aubre Andrus, Veronica Collignon and Karen Bluth

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    About this ebook

    Find your balance. Become stronger. Feel amazing. Center yourself after a stressful week by taking five minutes to write in your journal. Strengthen your body and calm your mind with simple yoga poses and breathing techniques. Craft a vision board to help you achieve your goals. Award-winning author Aubre Andrus shares more than 50 do-right-now projects that will help beat stress, smile big, and discover a calmer more blissful you.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCapstone Young Readers
    Release dateSep 1, 2017
    ISBN9781630790929
    Project You: More than 50 Ways to Calm Down, De-Stress, and Feel Great
    Author

    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.

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      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

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