Welcome to your ✨Monday Moment✨
Take a deep breath in. Hold it. Exhale.
Pick a colour 🔴 🟠 🟡 🟢 🔵 🟣
Find the moment below with that same colour, then go to the closing moment at the end.
🔴 Take a moment to imagine you could get a crowd of people all singing together. What song would you choose and how would you start it?
🟠 Take a moment to discover a curious fact about crowd psychology. If you ever need help in a crowd, you’re more likely to get it if you ask a specific person rather than appealing to everyone around you. Why? It’s called the bystander effect: when lots of people are present, each person may assume someone else will step in. So, it’s better to make eye contact with one person and asking them directly for help.
🟡 Take a moment to learn how to find a little calm when you’re in a crowd. Start by sitting or standing tall and allowing your shoulders to relax. Imagine you’re in a crowd, with people moving around you and all the sounds you might hear. Now gently anchor yourself by feeling your feet on the ground beneath you, or touching something familiar, such as a piece of jewellery, a button or the zip on your clothing. Notice how it feels against your fingertips as you slowly breathe in through your nose for a count of four. If it feels comfortable, pause your breath for a count of seven, then gently hum as you breathe out for a count of eight, feeling the vibration of the sound. (Humming as you breathe out creates vibrations in your throat and may help stimulate the vagus nerve, which plays an important role in your body’s relaxation response and helps regulate your heart rate.) Repeat if needed, skipping the breath hold if it feels uncomfortable. Remember, you can return to this simple exercise whenever you need a moment of calm in a crowd. You don’t have to escape the crowd to find a little space for yourself.
🟢 Take a moment to think back to when you were younger. Can you remember a time when being part of a crowd gave you the confidence to try something new or do something you might not have done on your own?
🔵 Take a moment to think of at least three famous movie scenes involving crowds. Perhaps someone is trying to find someone, escape from a crowd, or simply disappear into one.
🟣 Take a moment to imagine you’ve been asked to feed a huge crowd of people. You want to make sure everyone gets something to eat, but what would you choose? Perhaps there’s a dish you love making, something you’d order in, or a food you’d love to share with everyone. What would you choose?
A closing moment to take another deep breath together. Hold it, feel it, and gently exhale. Life is full of crowds, both literal and metaphorical, and it’s easy to get swept along with everyone else sometimes. But being part of a crowd doesn’t mean losing sight of who you are or what matters to you. There’s a wonderful quote by Islwyn Jeneins, dating back to 1933: “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” What do you think he meant? Perhaps it’s a reminder that sometimes we need to stop looking to others for direction and find the courage to trust our own. This week, take a moment to consider when it’s good to go with the crowd, and when it’s important to find your own direction.
Your thoughts and comments are always welcome; this is a safe space. If this helped you today, consider passing it along to a friend who might need it too.
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Disclaimer
This post is created for entertainment, happy vibes and informative purposes. It is not to be perceived as professional advice regarding health or finances, or any other field. I am also human and may have the odd misspelling, grammatical error and/or repeats. I will always try my best, but will never promise perfection.
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