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On Monday, April 8, millions of people across the United States will be able to view the total solar eclipse. Eclipse chaser and science writer David Baron says this experience will change your life.
“You’re going to see the sun like you’ve never seen it before,” he told Life Kit in an interview. “It’s like leaving the solar system and looking back on another world.”
But… what happens if you can't attend the awe-inspiring, supernatural, one-time Blue Moon solar event?
Do not worry. There are other ways to bring wonder and magic into your everyday life. Here are 5 tips from Life Kit experts.
To Capture the Bizarre, Understand Your Dreams
Want to capture the surreality of a solar eclipse that you can't create? Interpret your dream. Harvard dream researcher Deirdre Barrett explains how. Say your intention out loud at bedtime. “As you fall asleep, tell yourself that you want to remember your dreams,” she says.
Barrett says write down your dreams as soon as you wake up, and “take a moment to notice what you were dreaming about and think about its potential relevance to your waking life.” Pay attention to symbols and images. Then ask yourself what that visual means to you. To find out How to Use Dreams to Solve ProblemsListen to our episode.
Open your eyes to the new to see supernatural beauty.
That's right. A total solar eclipse will be the most spectacular event in the sky on Monday. That doesn't mean you can't find beauty in the world around you.. Author: Jenny O'Dell how to do nothingWe explained how to do this in a 2020 interview with Life Kit.
She says to pay attention to change. Take a walk around your neighborhood and “pay attention to what flowers are blooming. It's spring, so it's a great time to do that,” she says. “You can continue to pay attention to that plant and track its flowering process, perhaps over several weeks or months.” Or you might focus on different types of flying or buzzing insects or sounds around you.
This exercise can help open your eyes to the charm and novelty of everyday life. If you want more practice How to Pay AttentionListen to our episode.
Look at art to change your perception
Like watching a solar eclipse, Connecting with inspiring works of art can change your life. But how do you do that?
Art historian Susie Hodge says try to make a personal connection with art, even if it's not what the artist intended. For example, a color, pattern, or flower in a painting “may trigger something from your childhood or deep corners of your memory.”
These free associations help elicit an emotional response when viewing the work. Let your mind wander and follow your train of thoughts wherever they lead. And deep connections “will happen,” Hodge says. Read the full story. Get tips on what to look for when standing in front of a work of art.
Connect your heart to the poet's heart to evoke powerful emotions
Witnessing a supernatural event like a solar eclipse can evoke powerful emotions that cannot be expressed in words. But if you're a poet, you might. See if you can connect the emotion to the word. Move your mind by reading poetry.
To do so, says poet and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, Harriet Mullen, let go of trying to unravel the meaning of the poem as the poet intended and interpret it in your own way. Consider the poem “The Song of Wandering Aengus” by William Butler Yeats. Ask yourself: What was your overall impression? What thoughts are running through your mind? What do you feel? As you read the poem, look around your head and think about what is there.
“I think this overall impression remains something for most of us,” says Mullen. Whatever that “something” is, believe in it. Find out how “Visualize” a poem In this story.
Enjoy ‘forest bathing’, which transforms your body and mind through nature.
Alfian Widiantono/Getty Images
That's right. Viewing a total solar eclipse can be a transformative experience. But the same goes for other elements of nature. This is what the Japanese call something like spending time in the forest. Shinrinyoku. “It’s about connecting with nature through sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch,” says Qing Li, a researcher on the topic and a professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo.
Gary Evans, director of the British Forest Bathing Institute, explains how to connect your body and mind with nature. Find a place in the woods or in a park surrounded by trees. Set yourself in a place that is beautiful and relatable to you.
Now sit down and take a deep breath. Evans says: “Inhale for a count of two and exhale for a count of four. Then continue. If your exhale is slower than your inhale, it sends a physiological message to your body that says, 'I'm safe. I can relax.' That's okay.' “
Evans says you might be surprised by what you discover. He said, “Depending on what's going on in our emotional world, when we look at nature or a forest, it often sends something back to us that helps us understand what's going on in our lives.” Learn more The Science of Forest Bathing How it affects your mental and physical health.
The digital story was written by Malaka Gharib and edited by Clare Marie Schneider. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We'd like to hear from you. Please leave a voicemail at 202-216-9823 or email LifeKit@npr.org.
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