A Wellbeing Invitation for June
“I am going to make everything around me beautiful - that will be my life.”
Collage by Josephine Dolan-Dufourd
How we spend our moments is how we spend our days, which in turn, is how we will live our lives.
This Occupational Therapy based atelier has been inspired by my own humbug use of time recently. Last months book choice, Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time called a few of us to savour time, and I thought I would invite you all along on an adventure around this with me. The intention of the space is to expand our gaze to the beauty around us, bringing a bit of care towards the time we have here, in these bodies, with these minds that narrate our experience along the way. This journey will be made through occupations (activities) that are intended to inspire, nourish, challenge, soothe and enrich some of the moments of your month.
This offering is completely free in terms of financial cost, however, does require a small time investment. My suggestion would be that you give 5-10 minutes every day, perhaps from three to five days of the week. This is enough time to explore and have a play with the tasks, without them being overwhelming. An invitation to pause in your day and feed your mind, perhaps enough time for a tea break?
Please hold in mind that what we find meaningful is entirely individual, this may mean that some of my suggestions may not appeal, listen to that and honour your time.
The Wellbeing Invitation
1. Listen to Antonín Dvořák Symphony in E Minor.
Antonín Leopold Dvořák (1841–1904) was a Czech composer of romantic music, who employed the idioms and melodies of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, you can read more about him here, he has a fascinating story.
The piece I have chosen is Dvořák's Serenade for Strings which consists of five movements of around 5 minutes each. I have linked to individual videos below, but you may prefer to listen to the entire piece which you can find it here. You can of course listen on a CD or online music platform.
I would encourage you to simply close your eyes and listen, resting in stillness. If this is a challenge you can of course watch the videos of the musicians playing, or consider adding a simple task into the time you’ve set aside, such as moving and stretching to the music, writing about your direct experience or doodling.
2. Explore - True to Nature: Open-Air Painting in Europe, 1780-1870
Visit this exhibition of more than 100 oil sketches where you’ll find storm-torn skies, limpid rockpools, the dappled shade of a tree canopy or the awe-inspiring sight of an erupting volcano. Featuring works by artists including John Constable, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, J.M.W. Turner, Edgar Degas and Louise-Joséphine Sarazin de Belmont, witness these painters’ encounters with nature.
Most of us will be able to undertake a virtual tour here from the National Gallery of Art Washington DC. On this page you will also find a quick 3 minute tour of the exhibition by the curator Mary Morton, a longer one hour lecture and other resources are also at your disposal.
3. Cultivate Gratitude
Gratitude is a key to happiness. When we’re feeling grateful, our body calms, and we feel at peace in all realms of our lives. There is a basic principle in psychology called "Reciprocal Inhibition"; we can't feel two contradicting states at once. Apparently it’s impossible to feel grateful and stressed at the same time. One of the best parts about gratitude is that it's easy to access in little time.
Some simple techniques to try over the next month:
Bringing to mind one object, then one moment and then one person or living being you are grateful for.
Writing a list of three or more things you are grateful for at the beginning or end of your day, you can journal further around this if that is helpful.
Making some time in your day for this short gratitude meditation, it’s just under ten minutes.
Practising techniques like these regularly allow us in moments of stress to have a resource at our finger tips to pause, step out of the cascading waterfall of thoughts and give us some space before responding.
Cost: Free
Time cost: minimum 1h 15mins of your time this month (a rough idea if you did the minimum of listened to the piece of music once, spent perhaps 30minutes in the gallery and then 15 minutes of gratitude practice)
You can contact me josephine@thewellbeingatellier.com if you do have anything to share about your experience, I’d love to hear from you.
Warmly,
Josephine