What is your rock, pebble and sand?

Reviewing what is a priority, what is urgent, and what you can let go of. Understanding what matters to you most supports your understanding of what is your rock (priority), what are your pebbles (things that are important) and your sand (what is less important). This will help you focus on what is important to you and reduce the noise of all the little stuff going on in your brain.

Prioritizing Your Life: Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand by Mindful Practice

Japanese Hand Technique

This is a quick 5-minute exercise that can reduce your stress. Each finger represents an emotion:

This is why we tend to use hand expressions to express the following:

When we are expressing feeling ok, we stick our thumb up, and when we feel anxious, we put our thumb down.
When we express fear, we tend to point at the other person to push them away or to make a point to shut them down.
When we express anger, we tend to flip the bird at people.
Our ring finger tends to be where we show our security/contentment by wearing a wedding ring.
Our little finger is where we might raise when showing our manners when eating or drinking.

This exercise works by squeezing each finger at a time for at least 20 – 30 seconds before going on to the next finger. Finally, finish by pushing your thumb into the palm of your hand for 30 seconds. You will notice a sense of calmness once completed.

Please watch this YouTube video:

What is in your control and what is not?

This activity involves writing three things that you can control today and what is out of your control. This exercise helps you let go of all the little things you cannot control. It supports you in stopping the negative self-talk that happens when you don't achieve your goals. This also helps you focus on things that you can do right now to gain a sense of control and achievement, boosting your confidence.

Examples of things you can’t control

How people react to things
How people feel
People getting sick
People losing their jobs
What people say
How people behave

Examples of things you can control:

What you say
Your emotions
Your behaviour
Your time
What you wear
Who to reach out to

Feeling Overwhelmed?

We all experience moments when life feels overwhelming and everything seems too much to handle. We assume that the cause is mainly overwhelm from our actual responsibilities, but it is actually from the mental noise and clutter filling our thoughts. It's important to remember that these difficult periods are temporary. Here are some simple, effective strategies to find calm when overwhelmed.

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Finding some headspace by grounding myself in the present

Finding some quiet headspace takes a conscious effort and action. The following exercises are brief but effective as they increase focus and reduce tension:

Box Breathing

You can do this with your eyes open or closed.

Breathe in for 4 counts
Hold your breath for 4 counts
Breathe out slowly for 4 counts
Repeat 10 times

Watch this YouTube video:

5 Senses

This exercise helps you be in the present moment. It shifts your focus away from negative thoughts.

Our Fight/Flight/Freeze brain tends to focus on the negative things in our environment. It does this because it is trying to help us survive and prepare for what it sees as dangerous.

However, we are usually not in danger most of the time and need to move our attention away from the Fight/Flight/Freeze brain. Otherwise, we only see the negative or a perception of danger.

This exercise helps you to focus on the here and now; it brings you into the present and clears your head to have space to think.

Stand or sit and focus on noticing your breath going in and out. Keep breathing at a slow-medium pace and then notice:

After this exercise, you should feel a sense of calm.

You can watch this exercise on this Youtube video:

We gratefully acknowledge all the partners, Queensland Mental Health Commission, ASPIRE, Gold Coast University Hospital and Southern Cross University.