(This post is part of a series of 5-minute pit-stops. Simply put, if you can take just 5 minutes out of your lunch break, you can experience the stress-reducing power of nature. It only takes 5 minutes to reset. So, why not give it a go?)
Cloud Gazing
You know that feeling when your brain just won’t switch off?
Try this…
Find a bench, or grab a blanket, or just lie down on the grass if you’re feeling brave (watch out for the dog poo!) .
Then, look up.
Give it five minutes, that’s all. Just watch the clouds drift and shift and pull apart into something new.
A dog, maybe. Or a dragon. Or your nan’s profile, for some weird reason 🤔.
Perhaps not surprisingly, there’s actually a word for spotting shapes in clouds, nephelococcygia, and people have been doing it since the ancient Greeks. But you don’t need to know that. You just need the five minutes.
So, why does it help?
Well, what happens is your eyes stop darting around, and your breathing slows down without you even trying.
That means your brain gets a break from all the reactive decisions, and pings and notifications, and instead it gets something soft and slow-moving to follow.
No app, no kit, no plan. Just you and the sky. Just a quick note though before I finish… I’m writing this in the Summer, so if it’s now November, it’s probably best not to try this in the rain.
But, if it’s nice, take a 5 minute, cloud gazing pit-stop, and let me know what shapes you spot.
