Blog Post 4

Hi everyone!

This week was a super busy week with schoolwork, so it was great having my Genius Hour project as a way to take a little break from the stress. In my last post, I talked about meditation and painting, and how incorporating these into my week allowed me to take some moments to myself and forget about the stress school was putting on me. I also talked about the issue I had with the Headspace app I was using for meditating and that I needed to find a different (free) platform to use. Additionally, I determined that the next step in my Genius Hour project was implementing some yoga into my week, which is something I did!

Meditation

Although the Headspace app was a great platform for meditation, I was not interested in paying for a subscription. There are many other ways to engage in guided meditation that do not involve paying a monthly fee. I was able to find some great videos on YouTube, including a 10 minute meditation for anxiety, a 20 minute guided meditation, and a meditation for sleep. I completed the 10 minute meditation and sleep meditation twice last week, and the 20 minute meditation once. After doing these meditations, I’ve concluded that the 20 minute meditations are a bit long for me and I am going to stick to doing shorter ones. I found the 10 minute ones to be the perfect amount of time, as they can be done during breaks from school work or right before bed. Doing these YouTube meditations is something I am definitely going to continue, as they only take a few minutes out of my day and are a great way to reduce stress.

10 Minute Meditation for Sleep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEqlQvczMJQ

10 Minute Meditation for Anxiety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-6f5wQXSu8&t=11s

20 Minute Guided Meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIr3RsUWrdo

Painting

Unfortunately, painting was not a top priority for me last week. I was only able to use my watercolour paints once, as it is something that is a little time consuming. Although painting is relaxing, I felt that taking that long of a break from my school work was more stressful for me. I have decided that painting is more of a weekend activity for me, as I feel a bit too busy during the week to implement it into my day.

Yoga

Last week I tried implementing yoga into my daily routine, and I found it to be super relaxing and a great way of getting some exercise in. I was able to find the time to do yoga on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of last week. The videos I followed along with were not long, however I still feel as though they allowed me to feel present in the moment and escape from any stress I was feeling. On all three days I watched the Yoga with Adriene videos I was discussing in my last blog post. She has a variety of yoga videos, each with a different focus. My favourite video from last week was the 10 Minute Morning Yoga, as it allowed me to start my day in a relaxing and active way. This week I am hoping to do yoga everyday so that I can see the effects it has on my mental health and well-being.

Walking

Incorporating walking into my daily routine is something I have wanted to do for a while, but I always find myself making excuses to avoid it. Walking is something that is extremely beneficial for mental health and well-being, so I should try my best to implement it into my routine. I managed to go on one walk last week with a friend. I find going with a friend makes it much more enjoyable as you are able to socialize while enjoying the fresh air. Since this week is reading week, my goal is to go on a walk every single day, whether that is with a friend or alone.

As I finish up my Genius Hour project within the next couple weeks, I will keep implementing meditation, painting, yoga, and walking into my weekly routine and documenting how it affects my overall well-being.