And Now for Something Completely De-Stressing

Featured image: Photo by Minnie Zhou from Unsplash.

4 for Now

Odds are you’re more familiar than you’d like to be with all the stress and strife in the world. I believe that whatever the outcome of the U.S. election, our work is just getting started. But I also believe in taking time to center and de-stress.

I thought it would be nice to provide a moment where we can just breathe and let go of the tension we’ve been holding before I get back to sharing tough truths.

And by all means, if you have more than four minutes, take as long as you want. All images are from Unsplash (why Unsplash isn’t linked here). Start with the Animals gallery, or skip to the Babies or Colorful galleries.

Animals

Little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel sitting on grass looking directly up into the camera with big round shiny eyes.

Close up of baby orangutan peering at camera over mommy's shoulder.

Fluffy white puppy lying in lush green grass on its back, looking toward camera with mouth open. A roll of toilet paper has been unfurled in the background.

Four black and white piglets on a light blue dog bed. Three of the piglets are looking toward the camera. One appears to be looking at another bed off camera.Gray wood floor and light brown wood panel background.

Close up of fluffy gray kitten looking off camera.

Five fluffy Australian Shepherd puppies sitting and lying on steps.

Lion cub lyig on grass, gazing just off camera with its tongue sticking out.

Little, fluffy white dog leaping across lush green grass and white clover toward the camera. Dog's mouth is open, as if smiling wide. Dog is backlit by the sun, creating a halo of light around it.

Two kids (baby goats) poking through grass and straw. Kid on the left is mostly brown with some white spots andbleck legs and stripe down its back. Kid on the right is mostly white with some brown spots.

Close up of a fuzzy brown and yellow duckling high-stepping across a walkway of pavers toward the camera.

Close up of fluffy golden dog lying in the grass and a fluffy orange and white cat rubbing its head against the dog's head.

Close up of a red squirrl on the side of a tree, facing downward, into the camera. Holding onto the tree bark with its rear feet, it appears to be holding a nut in its front paws as it looks at the camera. The tree canopy and a light blue sky with shining sun are the background.

Head shot of a red panda in a tree, licking its upper lip and gazing off camera.

A red fox sitting in a field of tall grass, licking his upper lip with his eyes closed. His tail is stretched out next to him.

Fluffy gray, white, and orange cat facing to the right but looking closer toward camera. In front of this cat is a smaller, fluffier gray, white, and orange kitten, looking down at the ground between them. Out-of-focus trees in the background.

I don't know what kind of primate this is, but baby has big, round, black eyes, a black face, and a white or gray fluffy "mane" haloing its face. It is climbing over mommy's feet toward the camera.

Fluffy, light brown/orange hamster facing camera, holding its front paws in front of its mouth.

Five fuzzy little Canada goslings following mommy through bright green grass. (Mommy not pictured.) Leading gosling has some grass sticking out of the side of their bill.

Close up of light brown and white lop eared bunny in the grass, facing the camera.

Babies

Head shot of a black baby looking at camera and rolling the tip of their tongue up under their top lip.

Close up of Indian baby, lying on stomach. Head is resting on one arm, and a small trail of drool is dripping toward their elbow. Baby's big, dark eyes are looking at the camera. Wearing a read top and a string and bead bracelet.

Black toddler twins standing next to each other in front of white striped curtains wearing matching shiny turquoise onesies. Across the front of their onesies are big rainbows with clouds at each end. There are brigh added sunbursts to indicate how shiny the onesies are.

White baby with towel draped over their legs dives face-first into a white-frosted smash cake on a round, wooden tray. Background is white.

Brown baby with curly brown hair lying on their back on a white blanket. Wearing a gray, red, and orange diamond-patterned top, baby is holding a peach while looking off camera.

Brown baby with thick dark hair pinned at one side with a pink bow is smiling wide at the camera. Wearing a white and pink top/onsie, holding a card that says "Today I am 3 months old."

Tired little baby wearing knit gray cap, tucked under a white blanket and yawning. Fluffy white teddy bear is tucked in next to baby.

Light-skinned baby with dark hair in white outfit sitting on a white bed, holding a board book called Fruit Alphabet in their lap. Baby is looking very seriously at one of the pages.

Close up of Indian baby smiling while looking off camera. Laying on their back in a red and white striped top.

Toddler squinting one eye and sticking out tongue while giving peace sign. Mostly shaved head, save a patch at the front. Wearing a bright blue top with silver Asian symbols. [I don't want to misidentify, hence the general description. Sorry!]

White baby reclining in little green inner tube. Tube decorated with fish and whales. Baby wearing green head band, white top with red trim, and white sunglasses.

Indian baby facing camera, hand over one eye of adult-sized black sunglasses. Big smile showing six front teeth. (And another on the way!) Orange and white bow on green headband. White top, orange scarf.

Indian baby looking toward camera over shoulder with enormous smile. Red polka dot bow in their hair, dark blue top with white stars.

White baby staring straight at camera, bundled up in a pink fuzzy coat and white hat and blanket in a black carrier.

Close up of a Black baby, gazing off-camera with pursed lips and holding their hands together.

Colorful

A stand of palm trees against a saturated sunset of yellow, orange, pink, and purple.

20 pieces of toast laid in a grid. Starting at the top left and continuing to bottom right, the spread gets progressively darker red, in an ombre effect. The background is pastel yellow.

A variety of pink, cream, yellow, gray-blue, and purple flowers with green leaves shaped into a heart. Two hands appear to be holding the heart and seven ladybugs are parading up along one hand. The background is pastel pink.

Mural of a mermaid. Gray skin, blue and turquoise hair, pink, red, orange, purple, and white scales on the tail.Behind the mermaid are all orts of leaves: blue, green, turquoise, and black. Some pink and orange, too.

A heart-shaped spoon full of vegan sprinkles: jimmies, hearts, little round ones, bigger round ones. Mostly pastels, some of the hearts are bright rainbow colors. The background is an aqua-blue.

Macro of a building-block unicorn figurine with a cartoonish cat's face. Blue horn and big, shiny blue eyes. Dark pink ears. Pink, white, purple face. Bright blue background.

A puffy white cloud-lamp and three shiny, red cherries with stems suspended in a red room.

Close-up of a metal sculpture. Looks kinda like a brontosaurus with a blue ballcap on, sticking out its tongue. It is painted blue, red, orange, white, turquoise, and green.

Macro shot of the center of a rose that has been dyed yellow, pink, purple, blue, turquoise, and green.

Person holding colorful balloons. One balloon, a smiley face iwth tongue sticking out, is covering the person's face. The background is a brick wall with a mural of daisies, also with smiley faces.

Two brightly painted doors: one red with a tall tree "rooted" at the base of the door. The other door is blue, with what appears to be the same tree farther in the distance. It has been uprooted.

Bright orange pumpkin carved with a goofy smile and big, round eyes.

A planter in the shape of a woman's head, painted white, yellow, red, and blue. She is sticking her tongue out. The green bush planted inside resembles a big, fluffy hairdo.

Basketball with a smiley face approaching a blue hoop with neon pink backboard. Background is blocks of yellow, orange, pink, and blue.

Three pineapples partying in front of colorful balloons. All wearing shiny party hats, two with noisemakers, and one wearing aviator sunglasses.

Macro shot of a bright pink flower with yellow center.

A mural of a befreckled womxn with wavy green hair and blue-green eyes. Pink and purple flowers with yellow, turquiose, and lavendar faces.

A bicycle covered in clocks: on the handlebars, frame, basket, and covering the wheels.

A bright yellow bunch of ripe bananas with googly eyes and round, colorful noses.

Mural on white building or red, yellow, and blue butterflies. One butterfly is rising above the building, into a bright blue sky.

4 for Later

I’ve been playing Infinity Loop on my phone. Getting used to it, it takes all your attention, and once you have the hang of it, you can do it almost mindlessly, which is a great meditation! Get it from Google Play or the Apple Store.
I find Bella Goldwin’s silky voice and ethereal music very soothing. Check her out on Spotify, or catch her live streams on Twitch (most Weekdays at 1 pm EST).
If you’re an 80’s kid like me, check out this YouTube playlist of 80’s cartoon show theme songs. Find your faves and sing along! (If you’re not into 80’s cartoon shows, try searching for “[decade] cartoon theme songs.”)
I know leaving the house is still a scary thought for a lot of us. (While others *have* to leave the house. My heart goes out to you!) But if you have a little patch of nature near you, and the weather’s still okay, sit outside for a few minutes. Close your eyes. What do you hear? How does the ground under you feel? Can you feel a breeze on your skin? What do you smell? Going outside to “do nothing” may seem like a waste of time, but try it, then notice how you feel when you’re done. 🌻