The following article was written by, Kristin Keck, a Teen Associate at the Manitowoc Public Library.
I have to admit I’m an anxious person.
I keep a variety of stress balls and fidgets at my desk and I use them. If nothing else, I always make sure I’m wearing a necklace that I can play with. In a meeting, I’m the person pretending to take notes while I draw pictures of flowers and faces. I like to have something to keep my hands busy all the time. At home, I cross-stitch while watching TV. And, yes, I’m the person that ends up watching videos of people cleaning carpets at three in the morning because I just can’t make my mind turn off.
Reading is an excellent relaxation technique, of course. Reading as little as six minutes a day can reduce your heart rate, relax your muscles, and provide an escape from everyday worries.
There is some evidence that even being around books, particularly books arranged on shelves, reduces anxiety and stress. A well-designed bookshelf can put you in a good mood just by looking at it. Ideally, a shelf should be 70% books and 30% decorative objects and empty space. I think it should be more like 90% books, but I have a lot of books and 70% just means I would have piles of books on the floor.
It’s nice to have fantastic shelves with organized, stress-reducing books and beautiful knickknacks at home, but stress could hit anywhere. That’s where the mini bookcase comes in.
These are travel-sized, take anywhere sets of bookshelves with tiny books and other objects, ready to be organized and gazed upon whenever things feel overwhelming. Alternatively, they can be shaken vigorously until all the stuff flies off the shelves in a fit of chaotic abandon.
Kristen Keck
Putting things back on the shelves, reorganizing the books by color or size or title, setting up the trinkets and plants and whatnot in that calming ratio of 70% books and 30% decorative space has been shown to help reset a mood. Think of it as meditation with miniatures.
On Friday, July 24, at 1 PM, Teens can join me in the Balkansky Community Room to make their own mini bookcases. Teen Summer: Mini Bookcases is open to ages 11 to 18 and will involve the use of hot glue guns, craft knives, and Dremels. We’ll have supplies on-hand to create tiny library scenes limited only by your imagination and skill at making furniture out of popsicle sticks. The box for the outer casing and the 1:12 scale books will be provided, along with paper, the aforementioned popsicle sticks, beads, small decorative items, rocks, fabric, and various craft supplies.
Whether your dream library is a cozy nook or a magician’s lair, now is the time to express yourself. Or possibly express your shelf! Creating something uniquely yours is always fun anyway, and this particular thing may well help you deal with end-of-summer blues, general anxiety, or the specific stress of going back to school.
At the very least, it will be a fun fidget in times of overwhelming life.
