I want to share a helpful tip with you. Many of us find it hard to practice deep breathing to reduce stress and anxiety, but guess what? Blowing bubbles can be an effective alternative! It’s a fun activity that can relieve stress and promote self-care.
When you’re focused on blowing a bubble, there is less room for anxious thoughts, and symptoms tend to decrease. It’s because both techniques share similarities in their mechanics. After successfully learning how to blow a big bubble with bubblegum, you can be trained to recognize physical signs of stress and use bubble blowing to reduce those symptoms.
Blowing big bubbles can be a powerful tool if you’re experiencing stress-induced physical symptoms like dilated pupils, headaches, or shakiness. It can help you regain control over your body’s response to stress. This technique empowers you to recognize when you’ve practiced deep breathing enough or when your symptoms are still causing interference, and you need to revert to blowing bubbles (deep breathing).
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To demonstrate, I use a “dragon breath” that can achieve a large bubble slowly instead of numerous bubbles quickly. Sometimes, individuals feel competitive about creating a really big bubble or “catching their bubble” and turning it into a “double bubble” by blowing back into a bubble they caught.
Engaging in fun activities releases dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good. Playing a game with bubbles can be one such activity. It can take many forms, such as keeping the bubble in the air by blowing on it, hitting a target with it, or even hitting each other’s bubbles. After playing this game, you can monitor yourself to see if any symptoms have dissipated.
So why not grab your kids a bottle of bubbles and start blowing bubbles together? I guarantee you’ll have a lot of fun, and laughter and silliness can lift everyone’s mood and take their minds off current events.