Pay attention to what you see and hear this Haloween
Halloween has become a holiday of give me more, bigger, best — more candy, the biggest outdoor decorations, the best costume. If you’d like to make the event more meaningful here are three ways to bring more mindfulness to your Halloween day/evening.
As you move through your day notice the fall colors on the trees, pumpkin patches, and decorations. Are there different shades and intensities of the orange, yellow and brown colors?
If you have kids and they’re going out trick-or-treating take a few moments to stop and really pay attention to them. Are they excited, nervous, or anxious? Ask your children to pause with you and take a moment for a few deep breaths before they run out the door. This will help calm your nerves and theirs!
When outside bring your attention to the sounds you hear, without lingering on one sound. Just allow the sounds to come and go into your awareness. Maybe you hear leaves crunching under your feet, or the sound of the wind or rain. You might hear the cars driving by, or if you live in a city you might hear fire engines or police sirens.
I hope you have a happy, safe Halloween!
Elizabeth Cush, LCPC is a therapist and the owner of Progression Counseling in Annapolis, Md. She helps busy, overwhelmed men and women manage their anxiety and stress so they can live their lives with more ease, contentment and purpose. If you'd like to know more about how individual and group therapy can help ease anxiety and stress call me 410-340-8469.
New Mindfulness Groups beginning in January, 2018. Email me if you'd like to know more!
