When my children are overwhelmed, anxious, fearful, or nervous, we take a moment out to practice a quick, easy, and fun calming exercise to relax and shift our energy.
It goes like this:
Place one of your hands in front of you.
Use your other hand to trace your fingers. Starting at the base of one finger, perhaps your pinky, slowly breathing in as you trace up the finger, toward your fingernail.
Slowly breathe out as you trace your finger back down to the base of your finger.
Repeat breathing in and out as you trace each finger on your hand.
Continue the inhale and exhale pattern on your whole hand for five finger breaths.
To tie in an extra element of positive, amusing visualization, we memorize five of our favorite aspects within our life. We then connect each one with a finger, tying in a quick way to remember them. My nine-year-old son, Dayton, wanted to help by showing his five favorite things.
His fingers represent (in his words):
- His pinky finger is for me, his mama, as I love the color pink, and I am very short, only 5 feet tall.
- His ring finger represents his grandparents because his grandmas always wear fancy rings.
- His tallest, middle finger represents Jason, the main man in his life, as he is so tall and strong.
- His pointer finger represents his love for school and education, always pointing him in the right direction.
- His thumb represents fruits and vegetables, as he loves healthy foods. If he were in the wilderness, he would use his thumb to dig food out of the ground. He would also have a “green thumb.”
Fortunately, most of us also have a second hand with more fingers, if we would like to continue to identify more favorite things. Heck, you could even venture down to your itty-bitty toes. Maybe you and your kiddo could re-create the “this little piggy” rhyme to make it personal to what and who they love.
Visualization, paired with breathing in and out, allows us an opportunity to feel into the positive aspects of our life to create a sense of calm, regardless of our age.
This is a non-paid endorsement, inviting you to find your breath, along with some positive associations, when negative aspects of life seem to seep in.
To quote one of Dayton’s favorite movies:
“When you feel like life is out of focus, always return to the basics of life.
Breathing.
No breath, no life.”
– Mr. Miyagi, The Karate Kid
As always, I appreciate you spending some time here to read this. Perhaps another parent may find this helpful as a fun way to engage, connect, and calm their child. This short little piggy thanks you for sharing this with another.
Check out another helpful, mindful reflection from spending time with Dayton:
P.S. My embarrassing nickname as an itty-bitty little girl was Miss Piggy. Perhaps I will unpack that with another share in the future.
