Life Changing Mindfulness Activity
- Reduce Self-Critical Thoughts and Anxiety
- Enjoy Pleasurable Moments During Ordinary Experiences
- Engage More with Others and the World Around You
Participant Response
How It Works
The Small Surprises Mindfulness Activity is a multi-sensory activity that encourages participants to experience their present environment using each of five senses — sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.
To start the Small Surprises Mindfulness Activity, select one of the five senses and then focus on experiencing the world through that sense. Stay present and simply listen, see, touch, taste, or smell until you observe something that is unusual, interesting or Surprising!
When you mindfully experience and enjoy more of the world around you, studies have shown that mindfulness not only quiets repetitive, self-critical thoughts but your ordinary, daily experiences become more pleasurable.
Additionally, the surprising experience can then be documented through words or images and shared with others through social media groups.
Participant Examples
Small Surprise – See- We drove to Connecticut yesterday and noticed all of the signs marking town lines and she asked why we don’t do that in Massachusetts. We looked during the drive home, and it turns out that we do! But once we started reading all of the signs on the highway we couldn’t stop and were surprised by all of the signs we had been missing -Hog Brook, Fish Creek and my favorite, Smallpox Creek
Small Surprise – Smell… I am crossing the street next to my apartment and as I approach the corner, I smell cut grass. I love the smell of cut grass. It is so rich and fresh. I look into the yard and can see the lawn mower markings, carefully set in the grass, back and forth. It’s a little thing like this that is so pleasing.
small surprise – Hear – I am in the walkway heading to the plane. Somewhere in the line in front of me I hear a young girls voice. “I’m so happy!” It makes me smile.
Small Surprise – Smell – I’ve been congested this week and have had trouble picking up smells on anything. Bought a pineapple and got nothing when I sniffed the side but when I picked it up and smelled the bottom I got the sweet smell of ripe pineapple. Unfortunately when it was cut up for fruit salad, that wonderful scent was gone.
Small Surprise – Taste –
today I had peanut butter toast and banana
Bananas – creamy smooth and soft, very tasty, very sweet, smells like banana
Toast – crunchy with seeds for more flavor.
Peanut butter – tasty & soft but sticks to the roof of my mouth.
small surprise – See – So I was walking today and found the wind had blown many of the Palo Verde buds off the trees. This time of year they are brilliant and everywhere. I looked down and saw where the wind blew the buds into a heart shape.
