Origami helps calm my loud messy mind: want to try it too?

Origami is an ancient Japanese paper folding art. I tried it and I want to share all about this experience with you!

This is a step by step guide to folding a Lily 🧡

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Although I am psychologist, I am no stranger to anxiety or to feeling helpless. These experiences are more common than not and though many of us are very functional despite them, for some of us they can be very difficult to deal with.

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In a previous post I shared how I overcome dark periods of my life by going on day hikes. After one day walking up a mountain, I do not feel powerless anymore.

But if you are lacking the energy to walk up a mountain, or if this is not your preferred activity for now, there are other activities you can do to help overcome a period in which you feel anxious or helpless.

These activities involve putting yourself in new controlled situations. Learning something new (like playing an instrument, or origami, or some form of art, or a new sport), can be refreshing and fun.

These I folded when I got COVID to help me cope with the lockdown once I was feeling better.

Is there something that you have been putting off that you think might be nice to try? ☀️☀️

Working with your hands can be soothing, especially if you are an over thinker or tend to ruminate too much. By doing Origami, you are present and focusing your attention on your work. It can be even comparable to meditation. This activity at the very least might help get your thoughts away from what is worrying you.

Origami is not necessarily easy. But making mistakes is part of any learning process. When you suffer from anxiety, trying origami might help by understanding that getting it wrong the first or second time, is not threatening to you, you are in control. You are free to make all the mistakes you need, and take as long as you want.

Overcoming these difficult steps (or emotional states) might boost the confidence you have in yourself and all that what you can achieve. In psychology we call this “self-efficacy”.

Additionally, seeing the product of your work can be very rewarding, because you see results and consequences of actions towards a goal. And a goal is worthwhile. Not matter how small.

These boxes I folded for easter, to give chocolate eggs to my roommates in a nice little box 💜

Soo... choose a figure of your liking! And lets go! Start easy if it is the first time. I am sharing with you the Lily, cause I love flowers and this one is an ok beginners level piece. Instructions with pictures come next.

You will need: Free time and a squared sheet of paper!

Not too thin, not too hard. With time you will find the right kind. If you want to go pro right away, you can buy origami paper folding paper too in some stores.

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Fold the square into a triangle

Fold the triangle into a smaller triangle.

Bring the tip of the triangle to the middle. Use the folds already existing to guide you.

You want to create a squared figure with triangle foldings inside as shown in the picture. One of the sides will be closed completely, the other will have 4 tips.

Put your square open tips facing away from you, and fold the corners towards the middle line, as shown in the picture.

Do the same with the other side, so that you have a diamond shaped figure now.

> Each of the foldings opens and closes like a small window. Open each one of them and fold them on themselves, so as to make them flat.

Now not every side of your flower will be the same. Take those that have openings to resemble a smaller diamond. Keep in mind that you will be working towards the opening side all the time. The other side, the completely closed one, already starts looking like the base of your flower.

These photos show how to fold the smaller diamond within the larger one.

Once the smaller diamond is done, fold the tip on the base of the flower (the completely closed side), up, as shown in the pictures.

The folded tip should then look like this.

Repeat the process with all sides and the end product should look like this!

The sides that were more flat, and that we left alone for a bit while doing the smaller diamonds come in next. From the completely closed side, fold towards the middle to reinforce the bottom part of your flower, as shown in the picture.

Once you have done this with every side of the flower, you are ready to open it and help it bloom as I am doing in the picture here. The end result, looks like the very first picture in this post!

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I tried my best explaining the steps to you. But I learned from others. Maybe if I was a little confusing at times, you can try another step by step guide to folding this Lily. I leave you an alternative here! Also, tons of youtube videos are available for this and other figures if videos are more comfortable to you.

This post is a small recommendation for when there is still energy in you to initiate a new activity. If what you are feeling is too much to bear, or if you feel you are hurting yourself or the people around you, or if you just feel you have room for improvement and a more balanced lifestyle, don’t hesitate to seek professional help.

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Talk to you soon!