One specific way to center and calm is to set a daily intention that will allow you to have a guide and a focus during times of stress and challenge.  This can act as a specific way to address and clear mental habits of rumination and self-critical thinking.  To set an intention you need to:
Seed – honor this intention within your heart
Water – used focused attention during your day to strengthen your intention
Flower your intention with specific actions within each day

​Writing, journaling, doodling, and painting can all be restorative, healing practices.  Expressive arts practices are great to work with after you have completed “Evaluating your life for what is really important” and “Organizing your life for Success.”  Working with art projects is a great way to get what is swirling around in your head integrated into your heart.  “The arts ground us in the senses in which images are seen, heard and touched simultaneously by the artist and witness.” 1   An expressive arts practice can help you process emotion, create meaning and purpose and connect with intuition and creativity.

This activity combines the idea of a Tibetan “prayer flag” and the idea of Guatemalan “worry dolls” (both pictured below).  In the process, you paint, create or decorate paper hearts, write out worries, prayers, thoughts or words of focus and fold them prayer style over a string to create a hanging garland.