3 Therapeutic Activities To Try This Week
I have spent the last few years of my training as a dance movement therapist developing therapeutic activities that can help you improve your mental, emotional, and physical health. It always begins with defining your objectives to create activities that have the potential to elicit specific outcomes. I have been feeling deeply inspired recently and devoting much time to the creative process while thoughtfully preparing activities for the therapy sessions. Here are three therapeutic activities for you to try this week to help reduce stress and improve your overall emotional and physical well-being.
Mindfulness: The Body Scan
One way to start practicing mindfulness is to take a few deep breaths and focus your attention on your breathing. You can sit in a comfortable position, breathe in deeply, feel the air move through your nose and into your lungs, and then breathe out gently, feeling the tension released from your body. To take this one step further try the “Body Scan” mindfulness activity.
Sit or stand in a comfortable position. If you are in a place where you feel safe, gently close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in through your nose, filling your lungs up completely, then slowly exhale. Practice a few times, finding a rhythm you like. Repeat this conscious breathing throughout the entire activity.
Now focus your attention on each part of your body, starting with the crown of your head. Observe where there is any tension, and say “hello” to each part of your body from head to toe by shifting your consciousness to that body part. If a muscle is tense, try to relax it. Observe and listen to your body.
Take your time, and whenever you’re finished, gently open your eyes.
One way to start practicing mindfulness is to take a few deep breaths and focus your attention on your breathing.
This exercise is great for reducing stress, improving focus and concentration, and bringing your awareness to the present moment through conscious breathing while noticing any physical sensations that are present in your body. Breathing stimulates the vagus nerve which can lead to feelings of deep relaxation [1].
Movement: Opposing Energy
Movement can help improve your mood, reduce stress, and boost overall self-confidence. Since every day is different, we are often experiencing a new emotional or physical state. The objective of this activity is to transform your current state by playing with opposing energy.
Start by putting on your favorite music or most recent playlist. Walk around the room and take a moment to notice your emotional and physical state.
Next, move your attention to your breath (keep walking!) and breathe in and out deeply and slowly, repeating this several times.
With awareness of your current state, begin moving your body and see what movement comes naturally. First, listen to what your body needs and respond.
Now transform the energy by doing the opposite of what you’re feeling. Feeling tired and moving slowly? Begin jumping up and down! Feeling overly excited and moving your body quickly? Try slow, sustained movements. Observe what happens in your body.
Transition between moving how you feel, and moving in the opposing force of energy.
After moving to a song or two, decide when it’s time to end and find a conclusion, a purposeful way to end your movement experience and bring it to a close.
When you’re finished moving, ask yourself: what emotional or physical sensations arose in my body as I was moving in opposing energy to how I was feeling? Take time to reflect on what happened.
Creative Expression: Drawing Or Writing
Drawing or writing can help you express yourself in ways that spoken words might not be able to facilitate and can be a truly liberating form of creative expression. Allowing time for free-flowing thoughts or images to take a tangible form can be deeply therapeutic.
Begin with a blank sheet of paper, a pen or pencil, and some colored pencils, oil pastels, or markers.
Allow yourself to make a spontaneous decision by asking yourself: do I want to draw or write? Then see which of your “instruments” attracts you and respond to the impulse.
Now allow your subconscious to flow onto the blank page. There is no judgment in what you’re creating, and it doesn’t matter how you’re drawing or writing, it is simply an extension of your current inner emotional state. Focus on the process and how you feel while creating something.
Drawing or writing can help you express yourself in ways that spoken words might not be able to facilitate.
Creative expression can help to reduce stress and anxiety, improve self-confidence, and provide you with a form of self-expression when you don’t feel like speaking about what you’re feeling. If you take the time to let your emotions and creativity flow, you may begin discovering something new about yourself.
How To Combine These Activities
Combining all three activities can lead to powerful results. First, start with the body scan to arrive at your body and the present moment. Then, begin moving your body through opposing energies, allowing yourself to fully express the emotions that are circulating through your physical body. And finally, use the creative outlet of drawing or writing to further process your thoughts, feelings, or memories.
Notice how you feel afterward and get in touch with me to let me know how it went if you need someone to share your experience with!
Embodied Experiences
Incorporating mindfulness, movement, and creative expression into your daily routine can have a significant impact on your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. I encourage you to try these activities separately or altogether this week to discover how they may help you reduce stress and discover something new about yourself through embodied experiences. Practice and you will find a whole new world opening up which will help you to grow, heal, and live a life in which you are aware of your emotional and physical states, ultimately leading to greater self-awareness.
If you’d like to know more about my journey of becoming a dance movement therapist, follow my TikTok channel.
