A MOMENT TO YOURSELF: BREATHING: COMFORT ZONE

Life can be a little stressful and there are days where you might not feel well. You only want to lay in bed, sleep, or turn your brain off. Sometimes you cry, you feel anger, or you even feel a little lost and alone. For this, let us create a world where we will always feel good, loved, hugged, and free. It may be your kind of paradise or simply a comfort zone without rules and judgement—just you and feel good vibes. Close your eyes and relax. Imagine you are outside, connecting with Mother Nature. Maybe hiking in the mountains, running through green grass, or swimming in the ocean—it can be anywhere, anytime. Choose a surrounding which attracts you. Whatever surrounding you choose, make sure you are experiencing a quiet space. Calm and comfortable vibes. Look around, explore your wonderful comfort zone. Do you smell something special? Do you feel a certain emotion when looking around? Is there something fun or beautiful that catc hes your attention? Everything you can touch and smell, try to remember it well, and keep it close to your heart.

Why don‘t you settle a bit further and make this place a little more comfortable?

In the mountains, for example, find a tree with lovely scents and build a tree house. At the beach, build up a tent and celebrate a night outside in nature. It is your world. Your comfort zone. Now gather all your energy into your feet. Take your time focusing and feeling it all streaming through your body. Let the energy flow back to your head through your whole system. The energy is floating with love and good vibes through your body, arriving at your head and simply sparking out of it like a little firework. Feel the energy of the firework and imagine the beautiful colors shooting out there creating nothing but smiles and pure bliss. Let the sparks fall down to your feet again and repeat the energy flow a few more times. Gather all your happy vibes from your

comfort zone and transport them from your feet to your head to create a firework of love and comfort. Do this as many times as you please.

E l i s a b e t h H a s e — C r y i n g W o m a n ( 1 9 3 4 )

E d v a r d M u n c h — M e l a n c h o l i e ( 1 8 9 4 )

Today, when looking at images we share on social media and other platforms, they always seem to be positive and inspiring. People share the good stuff and never the negative, so that we think they have everything figured out and under control. Unfortunately, not everybody feels comfortable to share pain, sadness, and emotions in general, because they are scared to be judged and with this excluded and dismissed from social life etc. A world with positive images sounds good—why even complain? Well, because this is not life. Life is about all the ups and downs, the pains, and the ache one has to feel to learn lessons and move ahead. Even artists deal with negative phases and emotions which block their happiness—and what do they do? They capture it and share it with the world.

That‘s why today, we have many paintings which deal with sadness, feelings of being lost, identity crises, and whatever the painters were feeling. Even better than that, art is so complex that the form of how to capture real emotions and feelings can always look different. Just like photography which shows all the realness, without using romantic colors or brush techniques which make us forget the actual pain.