By Alex Bruce/Special to The News
The mind is an extraordinary tool that can work either for or against us, it’s up to us as to how we’d like to direct it.
Our intrinsic resources for mental health are vast, and picturing yourself strong is another option we’ll discuss in this series of columns.
When we imagine or picture ourselves as being strong, we give our mind permission to borrow strength from somewhere that is outside of ourselves in order to bring it inside of ourselves.
Yet another miracle of humanness, as my guess is that squirrels don’t have the intellectual capacity to picture themselves strong.
With eyes closed or downcast, bring to your mind’s eye something that signifies great strength for you.
Perhaps it is a mountain or a tree or the ocean.
Maybe it is a fortress that you imagine to be impenetrable or a person who you think of as almost super-human in their strength, or the eye of a storm.
Sometimes, I imagine a tree and other times when I need to be flexible, I imagine seaweed strongly rooted yet able to move freely back and forth with the changing tides.
My husband likes to envision a mountain.
Use whatever will work best for you.
See that thing or person.
Feel its strength. Imagine it through all different types of weather or scenarios, still holding strong, solid and steadfast no matter what is happening around it.
Then imagine that it is you, you are it.
You have that strength and power inside of you.
You are resolute; not a power to be reckoned with necessarily, but you are powerful.
You are a survivor.
Soak in what it feels like to imagine this.
Perhaps imagine the craziness that is occurring around this picture and imagine that you are strong.
Know that you can draw on this strength any, and every single time you need to.
Memorize this feeling, this picture, so that when life gets difficult or challenging, you have this tool at your immediate disposal.
Provide this tool and suggestion to children, adolescents, and elders as well, as this exercise works for all age groups.
Not long ago, I shared this story and introduced the concept with a corporate team that I work with on a regular basis.
Many of them came up after the session and said that this particular tip was one of their favourites and that they could see themselves using this not only at work, but in their personal lives as well.
One of the lovely ladies in the group shared with me that her mind is quite busy and that everything I said had an issue with it; the mountain could ravaged by a tornado; the tree could get caught up in a forest fire. Instead, she imagined herself as the universe – nothing but infinite wisdom, untouchable by anything.
She gave me permission to share her suggestion, which is what I am doing with you now.
I hope you find one of these helpful or are able to come up with something yourself that works.
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• Join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MapleRidgeNews/ and post your pictures depicting yourself or others are Stopping to breathe. Share your creativity during these times and be sure to include names, ages, and details for an opportunity to be highlighted in a future article.
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FIRST COLUMN: Maple Ridge woman offers series of wellness tips amid COVID crisis
SECOND: We mammals are in this together and will thrive together
THIRD: Trying something new can help
FOURTH: Celebrating inclusion in team humanity
FIFTH: Learning to learn at home
SIXTH: Take good care of yourself, so you can care for others
SEVENTH: Important to move your butt
EIGHTH: Join together in sharing gratitude for Canadians
NINTH: Ponder a mini vacation and make the best of what’s happening
TENTH: Taking time to focus on the good in your world
ELEVENTH: Keeping the faith will make us all stronger in the end
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– Alex Bruce is a health and wellness author and accredited meditation and mindfulness instructor, and this is excerpt from her: “Let’s Be Calm: The Mental Health Handbook for Surviving and Thriving Through Pandemic”
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• Stay tuned tomorrow for the next COVID-19: In It Together column
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• If there is more to this column, please let us know about it. Email us at editor@mapleridgenews.com. We look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.