Lesson 504: Designing Emotion Records and Self-Observation Forms
Course duration:70 minutes
This lesson will guide you through using your breath to soothe your tense body. It's not about forcing yourself to calm down or ordering yourself to stop being anxious, but rather about sending reassuring messages to your body through slow, deliberate exhalations. The course will help you find a gentle way to return to normalcy when you feel anxious, tight in your chest, or agitated.
○ Course topic audio
Lesson 504: Designing Emotion Records and Self-Observation Forms
Click to view the read-aloud text
Today, I want to gently guide you through the theme: using breath to soothe a tense body. When anxiety arises, breathing often becomes shallow and rapid, the chest feels heavy, and the throat may tighten. When feeling down, breathing may become heavy, the body feels weak, and you don't want to move. Many people rush to command themselves: "Take a deep breath quickly, calm down quickly." But the more the body is commanded, the more tense it sometimes becomes. Today, we won't force your breathing, nor will we demand that you calm down immediately. We will simply accompany your breath as it slowly returns to your body. Please find a stable position to sit, place one hand on your chest, and the other on your abdomen. Don't change anything yet; just observe your current breathing. It can be short, shallow, or uneven. Please tell yourself: "I allow my breathing to be like this for now." Then gently inhale, counting to three in your mind; exhale, counting to four, or five. The key is not how deep the inhale is, but to make the exhale slightly longer, as if your body is slowly lowering its alarm. After three rounds, pause and observe whether there are any changes in your shoulders, chin, chest, or stomach. Even if you don't feel anything, it doesn't mean you've failed, because your body needs time to trust you. You can also pair your breath with a sentence. When inhaling, say: "I'm here." When exhaling, say: "I'll slow down." Or when inhaling, say: "It's hard for me to see myself." When exhaling, say: "I'm willing to gently accompany myself." Please remember, breathing is not a tool to eliminate emotions; it's more like a way back. When you feel anxious, tightness in your chest, irritability, resentment, or want to cry, you don't need to complete the whole exercise. Just doing three slow exhalations is already taking care of your body. After reading aloud, please write down a sentence you'd like to use in conjunction with your breathing, such as "I'll slow down first," or "I'm bringing myself back."
AI Healing Q&A
○ AI Healing Q&A: When your body is tense, your breathing is shallow, or you feel anxious, you can let AI accompany you in doing slow exhalation exercises. AI will remind you that you don't need to force yourself to calm down or take a deep breath all at once. Just observe your current breathing and let your exhalation be a little slower than your inhalation, sending the message "it's a little safer right now" back to your body.
○ Music therapy guidance
○ Music Therapy Guidance: When experiencing breathing difficulties, choose music with a slow tempo and soft timbre. Don't follow complex melodies; simply focus on each exhale. You can mentally coordinate with the phrase: "Inhale, I am here; exhale, I'm going to slow down." Let the music not command you to relax, but rather accompany your body as it slowly loosens.
○East-West Healing Tea Drinks
○ Licorice and Goji Berry Tea: When experiencing breathing difficulties or body tension, brew a cup of licorice and goji berry tea. The process of waiting for the water to cool down is also a form of relaxation. When drinking the tea, let your exhale slightly longer than your inhale, feel the warmth of your palms, and slowly send a sense of safety back to your body.
○ Healing Recipes
Lesson 504: Using Breathing to Care for a Tense Body
○ Healing Recipe: Sweet and Refreshing Tremella and Lemon Soup: When experiencing shortness of breath or chest tightness, try making a sweet and refreshing tremella and lemon soup. The tremella is soft, smooth, and refreshing, while the lemon brings a bright, tangy aroma. When drinking the soup, slow down your breathing; there's no need for deep breaths or forced relaxation. Let the warm soup accompany your body as it slowly receives messages of safety.
Open the healing recipe
◉ Japanese Dietary Therapy: Sweet and Refreshing Tremella and Lemon Soup
I. Recommended Dietary Therapy and Reasons
Recommended dishes:Sweet and refreshing soup with white fungus and lemon (moistens the lungs and calms the mind)
Recommended reasons:This lesson uses breathing to soothe a tense body. Nourishing soups are best enjoyed with slow exhalation, allowing a sense of security to gradually return to the breath.
2. Recipe and Method
Recipe (1–2 servings):
- 8g of white fungus, soaked
- 800 ml of clean water
- A little lemon juice
- A little rock sugar, optional
- Optional: a small amount of diced pear
practice:
- Wash the main ingredients thoroughly. Prepare the parts that need to be peeled, sliced, or shredded by cutting them into small, easy-to-eat pieces.
- Simmer the white fungus over low heat until soft and sticky, then add lemon at the end to maintain its refreshing aroma.
- Keep the seasoning light, with less salt and sugar, and avoid using strong flavors that overpower the ingredients, making it easier for the body to accept.
- During the preparation process, you can slow down your movements and treat washing, cutting, boiling, and mixing as a small exercise to bring your attention back to the present moment.
- After serving, let it cool slightly to a comfortable temperature before eating to avoid putting extra strain on your body if it's too hot or too cold.
- Take your first bite slowly, savoring the aroma, temperature, and texture before letting your body decide whether to continue.
- If you have a poor appetite that day, you can eat a small amount. There is no need to force yourself to finish it. The key is to let your body know that you are being taken care of.
3. Small rituals for body and mind
When preparing a sweet and sour soup with white fungus and lemon, you can first arrange the ingredients neatly so you can see their color, shape, and light texture. This small action can help your attention gradually shift from anxiety, depression, or recurring worries back to the present moment.
While waiting for your food to finish, give yourself three slow breaths. You don't need to immediately explain all your emotions or solve all your problems; just let your body know that you are safe at this moment.
When you take your first bite, focus on the temperature, aroma, and soft texture. You can gently tell yourself: I'm taking care of myself; I'm willing to slow down; I can start over.
4. Dietary Therapy Experience Record
- Record the time of consumption: whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a meal to settle down after emotional fluctuations.
- Observe changes in stomach comfort, body temperature, mental stability, and mood intensity within 30–60 minutes after consumption.
- If you consume it on days when you feel particularly anxious or down, you can keep track of whether it helps you slow down or gives your body a greater sense of security.
V. Instructional Videos (approximately 3–5 minutes)
Video Title:Sweet and refreshing white fungus and lemon soup: Japanese soothing food therapy and emotional calming
6. Precautions
- Dietary therapy should be done in small, light portions, and adjusted according to the body's reaction. It is not recommended to force yourself to finish a meal when you are feeling unwell.
- If you are allergic to seaweed, soy products, eggs, fish, tea, or citrus fruits, please choose suitable alternatives.
- Those with sensitive stomachs, pregnant women, those with chronic diseases, or those currently taking medication should prioritize following the advice of medical professionals and nutritionists.
hint:This recipe is for daily physical and mental well-being and is not a substitute for any medical diagnosis or treatment. If you experience emotional distress, noticeable or persistent physical symptoms, please seek professional help promptly.
Mandala Viewing Healing
When experiencing breathing difficulties, choose a mandala with rounded, expansive shapes and soft lines. Inhale, focusing on the center; exhale, focusing on the outer ring. There's no need for deep breaths; simply allow your exhale to be slow and gentle. The design doesn't command you to relax, but rather accompanies your body in receiving the message: it's safe to be a little safer now.
● AI Dynamic Geometric Vision Focus and Emotion Regulation Engine ●
AI Dynamic Geometric Vision Focus and Emotion Regulation Engine · v7.0.0
Before we begin, I'd like to know how you feel right now.
There is no standard answer; just choose the one that best reflects how you feel right now.
The experience is over. Tell us how you feel now.
There is still no standard answer; just choose the one that best reflects how you feel right now.
#FF5252
After the fluorescent line crawling is completed and stopped, first select a color, then click on the closed area in the graphic to fill in the color.
AI Digital Mandala Interactive Focus Engine
A–Z Free Selection · Layered Lines · 60 Color Fills
AI Digital Mandala Static Focus EngineAZ Image Coloring · 60 Colors
○ Calligraphy and engraving therapy practice
This calligraphy and seal engraving exercise has no specific content and does not require perfect character formation. When recording emotions and observing changes, please focus your attention on holding the pen, placing the pen, pausing, and breathing, allowing the repetitive hand movements to gradually calm your nerves. Recording is not about judging yourself, but about gently observing changes; the act of writing can also be an entry point for observation. Please take your time. The focus of the exercise is not on how many you complete, but on maintaining a reliable sense of stability in each stroke, gently accompanying yourself through the day.
○ Art Therapy Guidance
Draw a line representing breathing, starting from the center and slowly moving outwards, then gently returning to the center. The inhalation line can be shorter, and the exhalation line can be longer. If your body is tense, don't draw with too much force; just let the lines flow across the paper like the wind. After finishing, look at this line and exhale three times, reminding yourself: I can slowly bring my body back.
Please log in before submitting your drawings and feelings.
○ Diary Healing Suggestions
Write down what happened when you were breathing most heavily today, noting the most noticeable part of your body. Then record the changes after three slow exhales, even if the changes are small. Finally, remind yourself: I don't need to command my body to relax; I just need to repeatedly send a sense of security back to my body.
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May you gradually return to a more stable, clear-headed, and gentler version of yourself through today's practice.