Try wonder-spotting.
If you’re weighed down with re-entry dread or anxiety in general, grab your camera (or phone camera), go outside, and look at the world through a different lens, recommends life coach Andrea Scher. Scher calls this “wonder-spotting” and says it can be a helpful way to crush anxiety. As you observe your surroundings, ask yourself: ‘What’s beautiful or interesting about this moment?'”
Knowledge-driven questions like these evoke what psychologist Jordan Litman calls “interest curiosity,” which helps the brain focus on possibilities instead of problem-solving. And when the mind peers through the window of wonder, we can focus on the journey, instead of the destination, Litman’s research points out. When we’re grounded in the here and now, anxiety loses its ammunition because worries are almost always about the past or the future, says Scher.
During your wonder-spotting session, snap a photo of whatever catches your eye, the life coach suggests. For instance, you might spot a green, heart-shaped leaf or notice that the clouds look like marshmallows.
What can you wonder-spot today?
Written by By Juli Fraga, Psy.D.