Scriu / Construiesc / Dansez / Exercitii pentru dezvoltarea creativitatii

Writing Encounters Symposium la York University, York, UK, 7-11 sept 2008
Workshop tinut de Jude Dalton
Writing, Drawing , Dancing

Iata un exercitiu care te poate ajuta sa iti dezvolti creativitatea si imaginatia....

1. Gandeste-te la o intamplare care te-a marcat recent; adu-ti aminte emotiile, gandurile traite, alte detalii si scrie un scurt text despre aceasta intamplare (versuri sau proza, cum doresti).
2. Exprima apoi textul respectiv, concret, intr-o forma vizuala, cu ajutorul hartiei, culorilor, altor obiecte, precum sfoara, materiale de lipit, alte elemente vizuale...
3.Creeaza, apoi, un dans in jurul acelui obiect (cu muzica sau fara), prin care sa exprimi textul respectiv, integrandu-l, in acelasi timp, in performance-ul construit.

Have fun!

Use Mindfulness to Control Your Anger

 Is your bad temper creating you problems? Do you worry your angry outbursts will deteriorate your personal and professional life and cause irreparable damage on your health? Are people telling you to calm down or else trouble will be knocking at your door?

Anger is one of our most common and recognizable emotions: we have felt it and expressed it since we were babies, and we are still getting a taste of it on a daily basis (just remember the emotions flooding your body when you get stuck in traffic, or when something or someone prevents you from getting what you want). Even if we are familiar to anger’s many faces and distressing outcomes, we still find it difficult to control it, to detach ourselves from it, and, ultimately, to reduce its power over us.  Its abrupt and intense nature makes it more difficult to tame it down and bring it under our control, particularly when we reach “that point of no return” and all we want is to lash out in a fit of nerves.

But what if we approach anger from a different perspective? What if, instead of struggling with the emotion or trying to reason with it, we decide not to react to it?

What if, instead of trying to control anger, we just become mindful about it and decide to accept for what it is – a human emotion – that will quietly melt away?

Can mindfulness be an efficient coping strategy when anger builds up? Practitioners say it can. At all events, anger is like fire - if we allow it to exist and we give it enough space within our body and mind, it will lastly burn out.

Practicing mindfulness improves your ability to quiet you heated mind and cope with intense emotions. Furthermore, it can help you become aware of your “hot” thoughts before getting “to the point of no return”, and, also, to cool down if your anger has flamed out.

Commonly, mindfulness is the practice of intentionally paying attention to the present moment. It involves increased awareness of that present moment and acceptance without judgment of everything that you become aware of. In short, being mindful helps you reduce your physiological arousal and accept your emotions and bodily sensations in a non-judgmental manner.

But how exactly does this work when angry feelings are around the corner?

The RAIN technique sums up all you need to do, each time you have to deal with you anger.

1. Recognize the emotion. Take a few deep breaths and focus on your breathing. Notice the sensation of your belly gently rising and falling as you breathe in and out. Then, turn your attention to your body and your internal sensations and notice them. Are your palms sweating? Is your stomach aching? Scan you body for any tension. Notice how rigid you are or if you are feeling hot or cold. Notice the sensations flooding your body. Are those bodily expressions of a specific emotion? Identify that emotion and name it: I am feeling anger now.
2. Accept the emotion. Observe how that emotion feels in your body and where that emotion is located. Is it in your stomach, your jaw or your head? Then, take a few deep breaths and imagine you are creating more space in your body for that emotion to exist. Just simply, allow your anger to be present in your body, without judging it to be good or bad.
3. Investigate the emotion and the thoughts supporting it. Notice what angry thoughts come into your mind. Do not get caught into your thinking, observe the thoughts as they come into your mind and name them for what they are. You can say: This thought is making me angry.
4. Non-identify with anger and anger-related thoughts. Notice how your thoughts come and go, as clouds passing on a blue sky. Notice your anger, feel it and accept it for what it is – a momentary emotion, and, then, gently allow it to pass.

 Try this every time you feel negative emotions building up, and you will regain your cool demeanor in next to no time.

Mindfulness Exercises That Can Be Done In Less Than One Minute

       

 Wrapped up in our frantic lives, we find ourselves to be reluctant and unenthusiastic to devote fifteen - twenty minutes of our time to the practice of mindfulness or of any other relaxation technique.

We, also, come to realize, at the end of the day, that our mind has been absorbed mostly by our problems from the past or by worries from the future, and very little, it has been lingering in our present time.

Our life is happening “in the here and now”, as we speak or read; however, we are too busy to become aware of it. Paying attention to something else than the thing you are doing at the moment is something that we are all very used to. A short mindfulness exercise, that takes just one minute to do, could help you change that and bring a moment of tranquility to your mind and more focus to your everyday activities.

Why should you try it?

First of all, you can practice it whenever you want, wherever you are, regardless of what you are doing at that moment (eating, walking, standing in line, waiting or riding the bus). It will take only one minute of your time; you won’t’ require special props to try it, and you can tie it to your daily routines.

Second of all, you can use it as a tool to quickly change your state of mind, and reduce stress and irritability when you are stuck in traffic, dealing with annoying people or situations or faced with delicate decisions.

Being mindful gives you clarity and lowers your levels of stress, depression and anxiety. It does not solve your problems, but it can help you see things from a different, positive perspective, in a flash.

Here are two short mindfulness exercises that you can try starting today, when you are eating or doing one of your morning chores.

1. You can begin each exercise with this routine.

Take three deep breaths, and then focus your attention on your breathing for a few seconds. Observe how your stomach expands with your breath. Breathe in and out at your own pace, and observe passively the rhythm of your breathing.

2. a. Pay attention to your food.  Focus on its color, texture and scent. Then take the first sip. Observe how your food tastes and feels in your mouth. Pay attention to its texture and flavor as you slowly chew at it and swallow it. Then take a few seconds to savor the sensations in your mouth, throat and body. End the exercise by bringing your attention back to your breathing and your surroundings.

2. b. Try mindfulness while you are brushing your teeth or taking a shower.

Select a morning routine and focus only on what you are doing: notice the sounds of water as it flows down the drain, focus on the sensation of water touching your skin, the hotness or coldness of water on your body, observe the movements of your hands as you brush your teeth or scrub your body. Pay attention to the smell of tooth paste or shampoo. Notice the taste of tooth paste in your mouth or the coldness of your shampoo on your scalp. Take a few seconds to savor these sensations lingering on your body.

If drifting thoughts interrupt your exercise, just observe how they come and go and bring your attention slowly to what you are feeling.  End the exercise by bringing your attention back to your breathing and your surroundings.

This might seem unusual for you at first, but try it at least for one day. Then, in the evening, look back over the day. Was your day different? Have you felt less stressed, more positive or optimistic towards the future. Have you discovered something new about you today? How are you feeling now?