As I have entered my early 20’s, I have begun to discover that your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Growing up, schools always enforced the idea that you must get at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day in order to stay physically fit. This being said, they never encouraged any type of exercise to help your body stay mentally healthy. As I started my undergraduate years, I began to do some research on mindfulness practices in order to maintain a positive mental state.
While conducting my research, one mindfulness practice that immediately stood out to me was one called “Rose, Thorn, and Bud”. For those who have not heard of the activity, it only takes a few minutes and is a wonderful way to mindfully reflect on your day. It is also a great way to reflect on challenges and describe new challenges that you are looking forwards to. This activity can be done in a variety of settings: with your family, with your friends, in the classroom, by yourself in your room, etc. One of the foremost aspects of mindfulness practices is that you can either participate in them in a group of people, or on your own.
You begin the activity by thinking about the best of your day. This is the ‘rose’ aspect of the activity. These could include anything from something positive that happened, to a small win or large success. When I am trying to come up with my rose, I usually try to think about the highlights and positive moments that occurred throughout my day. Most of the time, I like my ‘rose’ to be something that I believe that I accomplished that day so that I am able to recognize my progress as a person. A rose is something that is developed and beautiful in its own and unique way. In a metaphorical way, everyone is their own rose. They develop their beauty in different ways and through various different accomplishments whether they be small or large.
The next part of the mindfulness activity is recognizing your ‘thorn’. This is something that challenged you, something you struggled with, something you want more support regarding, or simply a low part of your day. As human beings, we all have parts of our day that we do not necessarily want to relive. These things could include not doing well on a test, getting into an argument with a friend, or possibly even experiencing a breakup. Regardless of what the low part of your day was, identifying it is a fantastic foundational point in which you can begin to think about how you want to change or improve what happened. It is also important to think to yourself ‘What can I learn or take away from this experience?’.
The last part of this mindfulness activity is identifying your ‘bud’. Personally, this is my favorite part of the activity, although I find it to be the most difficult at times. A flower bud is something that will, in time, bloom and become a beautiful flower in the future. When you are thinking about your ‘bud’, you should be thinking about any new ideas or information that have ‘blossomed’ and/or an experience or opportunity that you are looking forward to. For me, I like to brainstorm any plans that I have with my friends and family in the future or educational opportunities that have been presented to me. Having something to look forward to each day allowed me to have a more positive outlook on my life instead of fearing the future.
Taking a few minutes out of your day in order to work on your mental health and wellbeing is key. Even a simple exercise, such as the “Rose, Thorn and Bud” activity, is a way to reflect on both your day and your overall mental well being.
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