Life can be hectic. Life can be challenging. Life can be wonderful.

But what do you do when things may not always be going your way? Those days when you don’t feel ok (and remember it’s ok to not be ok) and you have a ‘grump on’ or someone else has taken their grump off on you and now everything just seems, well, just too much?

Rather than looking for answers elsewhere how about trying a little mind medicine of your own first. This is an approach I have used with little children and their big teachers and it really works. 

All it entails is spending some time thinking about the simple things that make you feel better, the things that take all the grey and nastiness of the emotional turmoil away, and give you a little more well-being balance, even if just for a while.

At a recent Independent Thinking event I worked with teachers who took this approach back to their schools. From the wonderful minds of children in their primary school, here are some of their top Mind Medicine suggestions:

1. 1. 1. Squish slime and squishies.
      2. Listen to your favourite music.
      3. Scrunch or rip paper.
      4. Punch a pillow.
      5. Cuddle a puppy, teddy, blanket or another person.
      6. Count to ten (or more if you wish) and breathe slowly.
      7. Think of some magic moments.
      8. Make a den or a special space.
      9. Play with a stress toy.
      10. Escape with a film or TV box set.
      11. Have a relaxing bath with a bath bomb and some candles.
      12. Stroke a dog.
      13. Go for a run.
      14. Look at some fish.
      15. Meditate or take some time for mindfulness
      16. Drink water and eat something ‘nice’ – but only a little, not too much!
      17. Play a board game, Maths Prodigy or Spelling Shed.
      18. Bounce on a trampoline and sing a song at the top of your voice.
      19. Tell some jokes.
      20. Kick a football or do some hula with a hula hoop.
      21. Talk to someone and tell them how you feel.

These are some great Mind Medicine strategies that these children use to help them with their own well-being.

What are yours? [ITL]