This edition of Hood Health 101 takes you back to dope childhood moments to find simple stress relievers
Finding cleaver ways to relieve stress in today’s society is very important. I always take every opportunity to “wash” the day off of me. The older that I get the more I look for the “Sunday mornings” of life; the slower paced moments where I get to take in the stillness and simply be. Moments such as these are great for introspection, reflection, and deep thought in general.
When we were children, there were so many relaxing yet meditative things that we did. It seems that for many people, adulthood kills the inner child. Being connected with your inner child can be one of the most healing and therapeutic things that you can do. Think for a moment about the freedom and limitlessness that you felt as a child. Now dedicate yourself to recapturing and holding on to that. The following are my suggestions on how to reconnect with your inner child and ultimately relieve stress.
Dance
That’s right! Dance like no one is watching you. Do it without reservation or hesitation. Pick music that inspires you to move and allow your body to do whatever it’s comfortable with. You can be serious or silly, but whatever you do just be and feel free while you do it.
Color
Yep, I said it! You know coloring used to be the business when you were little. Remember how happy you were when you would get a new box because the crayons were sharp? You can pick up a kids coloring book with your favorite characters from childhood or you can purchase mandala or geometric shapes coloring pages. No matter the choice, get lost in the pages and watch your stress begin to just melt away.
Sing
Now I know some of ya’ll cant sing worth a lick, but who cares. Honey child if there is any song in you, let it out! Play that song list that has you jamming and sing along for as long as your heart desires. Music is relaxing, soothing and is known to reduce stress.
Get A Toy
I know, you are looking at the screen like huh. Give it a shot though and trust me. When you were a child you probably got lost for hours playing with a toy and creating the imaginary situations that it encountered. This allowed you to tap into that creative part of your being and we all know how creative flow soothes stress. Taking the time to do the simplest act back then gave you the greatest joy. If you find it a little difficult to play with toys by yourself, I am sure that you can play with your children or a younger person that like toys. Try it, I promise that you will have fun and maybe make a child’s day at the same time
Read
Reading is one of the best ways to relieve stress and learn something new at the same time. It allows you to mentally travel to other places and times. Each new book or new chapter can be a new adventure if you let it, and I know we all like some degree of adventure. Now I love my e-reader as much as the next person but, nothing can ever replace a good old fashioned book. The feeling of a book in your hands and turning the pages time after time provides a degree of stress relief also.
Childhood gave us so many irreplaceable memories of just feeling carefree and good. The stresses of societal pressure, working, children, and bills are enough to stress any person out. Sometimes we have to tap back into the simplicity of our childhood, even if it’s only for a minute. It was the time when we were innocent and oblivious to the stresses of the world. Now if you see coloring pages on my social media this week you will understand, LOL.
If you want to share your experiences of tapping into you inner child with me, just tag me on Twitter @NakeashaJ and on Instagram @Melanated_Beauty
– Nakeasha Johnson (@NakeashaJ)
