An Afternoon for Mental Health

<b>1. Meditate:</b>
One way to relax mentally is through meditation. Meditation is a great way to calm down. For beginners, either a guided meditation or a meditation in which you only concentrate on your breath is suitable.
You sit in a quiet, relaxing place and close your eyes for about 5 minutes. Now just focus on your breath. How do you breathe in and out? Thoughts that come, let them go, don't hold on to them.
To make the meditation as relaxed as possible you need:

● Yoga mat or pad, soft surface
● A quiet place
● 5 minutes privacy

You can find more information on meditation here: "https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-meditate">https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-meditate or here: "https://www.headspace.com/meditation/meditation-for-beginners">https://www.headspace.com/meditation/meditation-for-beginners

<b>2. Create a to-do-list:</b>
Another easy way to calm your mind is to organize your mind. You can do this with a to-do list, for example.
Create your personal to-do list with the following materials:

● Notepad
● Pencil

Now write down all your to-do's in a list. Look carefully at the list. Which to-do's are time-sensitive? Which ones are more important than others and are there perhaps to-do's that you don't really have to do but would like to? Or maybe you can pass it on to someone else?
Now sort your to-do's by importance and expiry date. When you're done with the list, think about how best to approach the first item on your list and what you'll need to do it. Take a deep breath: one step at a time!

<b>3. Encourage creativity:</b>
As children we always painted, did handicrafts, played an instrument, or let our imagination run wild. As our lives progress, creative things take a back seat as other things become new priorities. But being creative doesn't mean wasting your time on useless things. It means training your mind to find creative solutions. Creativity doesn't have to mean spending hours learning a new handicraft technique or learning a new instrument. Creativity can also start very small. How about these simple things:

● draw a mandala (you can find many templates here: "https://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/mandala-coloring-pages.html">https://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/mandala-coloring-pages.html &nbsp;
● Revive a learned needlework technique: cross-stitch, knit socks or crochet hats...
● Pick up a learned instrument and start playing
● Sing karaoke or just bawl out loud to your favourite song
● Solve crossword puzzles, Sudoku or other puzzles

<b>4. Pick an activity of your choice, do a little research and try it out. Have fun and good relaxation!</b>