Slime and Mindfulness ?

I have heard people say that you can do anything mindfully. You can watch

television mindfully, you can play a computer game mindfully, you can even

commit a crime mindfully. Just as long as you do it slowly, deliberately, and

that it lacks all the other basic qualities of mindfulness, such as non-judgment,

non-reactivity, non-attachment, and kindness?

While crime is an extreme example, it does raise the question of whether any

activity can be done mindfully. What conditions need to be present apart from

present moment awareness? I have written before about breaking down

mindfulness into its various components, but today I want to discuss

mindfulness in relation to a specific activity, an activity that has fast gained

popularity and spread all over social media in recent weeks. This activity is

playing with slime. Really, slime?

While in the past people have gone for a run, practiced yoga, meditated,

exercised, danced, played an instrument, or coloured to release stress, a lot

of people are now turning to slime for a moment of relaxation. Some have

indeed dubbed it as something "between art and a stress ball". Sure, slime is

therapeutic, easily accessible, and free! But what does it do?

Yes, slime!

1. A new sensation. In a world full of smartphones, touch screens, flat

surfaces and metal, is it really surprising that we crave a different kind

of sensation? Apart from the experience of new sensations (through

touch and sound), the appeal of slime may just be that it allows us to

focus on our sensations, whatever they may be. We let go of the

surrounding world for a moment, and focus on the slime as the object

of our attention. Much like mindfulness, which teaches us to bring our

attention back to the breath when our mind wanders, playing with slime

reactive and non-judging way can be a wonderful mindfulness practice

if we let it, whether we are feeling the sand beneath our toes, washing

the dishes, or simply playing with slime.

2. Stress relief. As I already mentioned, whether meditation, art, or a

stress ball is your method of choice to achieve relaxation, slime may

sometimes act as all three. It is a very sensory experience, which can

unleash your creativity (whether you are making slime or playing with

it), and provide tension release through the simple act of having

something to fidget with. After all, why did fidget spinners become so

popular? According to art therapist Nadia Jenefsky, “there is a

something, and more to simply be creative; less to achieve something,

and more simply to fidget.

3. Present moment awareness. I obviously wasn't going to write a blog

about slime if it was completely unrelated to mindfulness, was I? When

into the goo, or listening to the pop of a bubble when it finally bursts is

probably the most we have paid attention to anything in a long while, if

ever. Slime can provide that much-needed “micromoment” that holds

our focus and awareness, if only for a minute. In fact, it may be that

one relaxing thing we do, while doing absolutely nothing else at the

same time. It may be that activity that gets us to pause, relax, de-stress

and simply bring our mind back to the present. Will I replace my

morning meditation with slime play? Probably not. Do I think it can be

beneficial? Yes. Am I now interested in trying it for myself? Absolutely!