Very often, the events in children’s lives seem, to them, to carry much more weight than they should. An unkind word or look can upset them for an entire day or more. This exercise from Linda Graham can help them with clarity and realizing that ‘this too shall pass.’
Fill a clear glass with water, put it on a table, and ask your child to look through it and see what’s on the other side. They’ll probably see you or whatever’s sitting on the tabletop.
Pour a cupful of baking soda in the water and stir the water in the glass. What does it look like now? Can they still see through to the other side? Probably not: the baking soda clouds the water and obscures their vision. Just like baking soda in water, thoughts and emotions can create havoc in our perceptions and cloud other otherwise clear minds.
After a minute or two, take another look at the water. What happens when you leave it alone? Sure enough, the more the water rests, the more the baking soda settles, and the clearer the water becomes. Soon, all the baking soda will settle to the bottom of the cylinder and your child will be able to see through the glass again. The same holds true with our minds. The longer we rest in the steady rhythm of our breathing, the more our thoughts and emotions settle down and the clearer our mind becomes.
What You’re Saying