D is for Downtime (Primary)
Downtime gives us an opportunity to do the things that we want to.
We can pause & do nothing or we can do something! Like taking a teeny tiny holiday right in the middle of our day.
Identify the problem with Busyness
Busy, busy, busy? It can be super productive but some times busyness can be stressful too. It adds pressure to our lives which is not the most welcome of feelings. But fear not. Busyness has a nemesis :) And her nemesis is Downtime! Downtime is the time we take to pause let the busyness pass us by!
Allowing ourselves to have downtime is like finding calm amongst change, like getting in touch with our superpower! Being able to choose to feel calm is something that comes with practice & taking time to do what we want to do or, even, approximately nothing is a wonderful way to start!
Finding Downtime is about taking a small period of time to pause and do approximately nothing. Simple isn’t it? These little breaks can give us the space that our bodies, our minds need to rest, to relax, to re-centre. And taking these little mini-breaks takes hardly any time at all!
Fun things to practice
1. Find some places at home that you might want to take a little break? Perhaps somewhere super cosy where you can make yourself really comfortable? Or outside in your garden if you have one where you can spend some time in nature? Find as many places as you can to spend your downtime.
2. Have a think about what you could do with your downtime! There are so many ways to do approximately nothing, what’s your favourite? Do you like to spend downtime by yourself or with your family or friends? How can you plan to do it more often?
3. Take a moment - just pause. Sit with your legs crossed in your garden and listen to all the sounds around you - perhaps sounds of nature or sounds of traffic, the hustle and bustle of daily life? Lie back on the grass & watch the clouds - what sort of shapes can you see? Lie in your bedroom & pay attention to your feet, to your breathing, notice the rising & falling of your chest, of your tummy as you breathe in, as you breathe out. Just take a moment, tune into your heart beating, your body breathing. If your mind wanders, just smile & come back to your breath, you simply cannot do this wrong!
How about experiment with your downtime & find new ways each week to do nothing! You might find it a little difficult at first but, rest assured, in time, you’ll quickly notice how much you enjoy your very own little mini-breaks!
The not-so-small small print
There is none! Simply return to this part of the website daily to get the next part of the practice.. No payment or subscription required. This is a resource we are sharing with all of you through the website and aiming to help our youngsters, in the various stages of their lives. This program contains information and practices that are aimed for two different age groups and we intend to mostly post the primary level information in the morning and the secondary level in the afternoon. Please leave us a comment and let us know how you are getting on or get in touch if you require additional support.
Z is for Zebra, Summer Resilience Program Final Entry (Primary) with thanks to Brene Brown & Greater Good Science Centre at UCLA Berkeley Youth for their ‘zebra’ advice & to Education Scotland for their inspiration for this programme x