BLOW BUBBLES TO REDUCE STRESS

Remember the carefree days when you were a kid playing? One of many children’s favorite toys was bubbles.

      There are several mentions of children blowing bubbles, in stories and paintings, using ruggedly made devices.

      Prior to the 20th century, children discovered their mothers’ leftover washing soap was fun to use to blow bubbles.  In the early 1900’s bubbles gained popularity when they were first packaged and sold as a toy.

      If you were a child of the 60’s you might remember bubbles as a symbol of peace and harmony.  The air was filled with bubbles as a symbol of peace and “flower power”, instead of war. Bubbles were one representation of the flower children during that time.

      Today, bubble solution is the best selling toy in the world!  Millionaires have been created because of the invention and sales of various bubble blowing devices and solutions. One man has made a career as the world’s largest bubble blower.

      Blowing bubbles require you to breathe deeply and you create something beautiful in your exhale with the bubbles.

      When I was a volunteer Guardian ad Litem with the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for the Los Angeles Superior court, I spent much of my time in the children’s protective area with them as they waited anxiously for their individual time in the courtroom.  Part of my responsibility was to assist them in knowing that they were not to blame and feeling as safe as possible when they faced the judge. Most of the children were scared and several kept quietly to themselves, and others were crying. One particular day I took a small bottle of bubbles with me and sitting with the child I was responsible for, we took turns blowing bubbles.  In a matter of minutes, almost all of the other children surrounded us and they wanted to blow bubbles too. We all shared in the bubble blowing fun and some of the tears were turned to laughter. Although the children still were fearful of the situation they were in, the moments they spent blowing bubbles and laughing relieved the stress in the room. Some of them actually walked to the courtroom with a smile on their face.

      So keep a bottle of bubbles handy. Most toy stores still sell them for under a dollar. Surprise yourself, and maybe a few other people, by blowing a few bubbles the next time you feel stress. You might remember how fun this really is.

Quick Tip
If you don’t have any bubbles handy, you can pretend and still see some positive results. Hold your thumb and first finger as if you were holding a bubble blower. Blow over the top of these two fingers as if the bubble blower circle was there at the top of your fingers. For extra emphasis, you can close your eyes and visualize the bubbles floating away and popping the air.

Excerpt from Stress Out, show stress who's the boss!
ISBN: 978-0-9815238-3-5

Published by Self Investment Publishing ©2009

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