Free your mind
and the rest will follow,
be colorblind,
don't be so shallow
(before you read me you
gotta learn how to see me)
Lyrics from the song
Free Your Mind | En Vogue
Well, we are into week #2 of our water well system being out of commission which has meant no running water all this time. Talk about missing something that is a normal part of everyone's day.
To compound the situation, The Captain is sick!
As I was going through one of my old blogs this morning, I found this post so ironic as I am struggling to keep from going over the edge with the major inconvenience of having to deal with all these bottles of water. The way things are done on a routine basis is all turned around. I tried to enter this latest life challenge as a new adventure, but I am getting to the point where I can't fool my mind into thinking this is an adventure. In reality it is a major hassle that is getting on my last nerve.
So . . . maybe I should prepare a bowl of popcorn to combat the blues!
Seriously, the following post includes some awesome methods for handling those stressful times in life. Wish I would have run into this post before I started teetering on the edge!
Originally published on January 18, 2008
On the path to my quest for happiness, the best thing I did for myself was take the time to figure out what I was doing WRONG in my life since it seemed like I continued to spiral out of control time and time again. Yes, I have also had to deal with the death of my spouse, but I was not handling life well at all . . . and I know I will continue to stumble here and there because it is human nature. The difference is that I understand myself better and the way I handle difficulties.
I ran across an article that touches on a lot of what I have discovered in this year of self-awareness and I thought it was worth sharing with others having a difficult time with stress, depression or even a mild case of the blues . . .
Feeling good physically works on the mind too . . . exercise does help combat depression or a case of "the blues" . . . and here are some other psychological strategies that help us attain that peace within.
Feed your "brain" with low calorie foods with lots of crunch, like apples, carrots and celery . . . I eat a bowl of popcorn every day just because it is one of my addictions. Through the years, I have learned how to make a healthy version with a microwave popcorn popper . . . I never used the bagged microwave popcorn since I want to control what goes into it. It fools the brain and works as a release that helps deflect the binge of "stress-eating".
It is important to not use food to bring comfort, remember that it's mainly a source of fuel. An extra slice of cake won't solve anything . . . it will just make you feel guilty later. This is the one that I was really guilty of since I quit smoking last year and had to deal with that too . . . and the desire to eat everything in sight. Finally . . . I can say I have a handle on this too.
Avoid excessive stimulants like caffeine or guarana . . . I prefer not to practice what I preach with this one . . . although I have started substituing hot tea instead of drinking coffee every day, all day . . . and I have cut down the amount I take in each day . . . but I must have my caffeine!
Breathe right . . . Slow it down . . . allow your diaphragm to fully contract, feel the breath through your entire lungs, breathe out and exhale the air completely. When I feel stress starting to creep in, I take a time out, clear my mind and breathe . . . I close my eyes and envision the waves crashing onto the ocean and the sound it makes. When I have serious time . . . I have a CD of ocean sounds that is supposed to help with sleep, and it helps on those days I need to free my mind since I am such an intensive thinker that lets the stress creep in.
Everyone has their way of letting off steam . . . discover yours and recognize when you need to take a time out before the stress gets too out of control. My greatest stress reliever is energetic music and dancing . . . for others it is a hot steamy shower or a soak in a hot bubble bath in candlelight . . . discover the way that works for you and change the quality of your life. No sense running around stressed out if you can find a way to free your mind from it.
Do you feel yourself making the same mistakes over and over again? The most important thing I did for myself last year was invest time in myself . . . self-knowledge . . . recognizing patterns and understanding why. To break the mold, step out of the story to review it from an outsider's perspective . . . I've done that by blogging about the journey into my new life. Give yourself a reality-check to find the root of the problem and re-evaluating the situation. Although I know it didn't seem like it, I have really listened to the feedback and comments I received from my friends and have slowly made incremental changes.
Whatever you do, be true to yourself . . . take the HONEST approach with an open mind, finding negative characteristics about yourself is just part of the journey to finding your authentic self and making those changes that are necessary to stop the vicious cycle. Listen to what others have to say with an open mind . . . someone may say the one thing that clicks for you and makes a huge difference in your perspective.
Free your mind . . . and the rest will follow!
Comments
(40 total)the 2 most important one would be~
going back to october 31, 1987.. when nick was born 9 weeks premature...
to go back to sept of 2002 and stay by mum's bed when she was dying instead of leaving...
and going back to 1993 when we had that wicked fight that i just can't forgive her for............
excellent post gina....
1984... i would'nt have gone to the bar after the boyfriend brokeup with me... that decision alone would have changed the whole course of my life.........
Take good care,
Blessings.
You have not gone over the edge on this one.. What you said really makes you think
I only hope I am bringing back good memories . . . these are good memories for me when I think along these lines.
Great discussion!!
As to the trips to heaven, I had a dream some years ago - I was in heaven, saw Virgin Mary and asked her to take me see all the relatives that were dead. And so she did. The dream was so real that I woke up and was wondering if I was dead or alive. But if you had a travel agency arranging trips to heaven I wouldn't be a client Gina. It would be really hard for me to say goodbye to someone for the second time. I'll have to wait till the day that I'll go there to stay.
Travels back and forth into time would be a mess girlfriend! ;)
I had an extremely large family on my father's side and went to a lot of funerals when I was young. I guess I never really thought about that till just now. My son, at 15, just went to his first funeral when my MIL passed away. By 15 I had already been to at least 20 funerals.
I am trying to think about where I would like to visit again and the only things I can really come up with is the birth of my children and to see my great-grandma again.
Great subject!
This is a very nice blog Gina, and very thought provoking.
After that selfish indulgence, I'd have to think about preventing murders and acts of terror. Then there's a spate of musicians one could protect from themselves or air accidents. Oh, my.
Unconditional Love!
as for going back in time to a part of history? nuh. lower life expectancy and less rights for women. no way.
could i go back and make the world a better place by stepping in at a crucial time and preventing a disastrous action from taking place (like thwarting an assasination)? the trouble is - i am a bit of a cynic. while i was doing one good thing in one part of the world you can rely on human nature to step in and provide an equally bad thing to replace the bad thing that i had thwarted. make sense? no? thought not...
HUGS
Still trying to decide what I'd hit my earlier self with.
Unconditional Love!
To be honest I'd risk blowing the whole space/time continuum apart for the chance to take away some of the damage I've done in the past. That sounds selfish, but it's not my heart I want to mend.
I too have experienced loss from a very young age. Far sooner than I should have been dealing with that and I have played with this question myself many times. I think I would struggle to turn the clock back if I couldn't keep the person with me, it would break my heart to let them go again but there are things I wish I could say to them about what was left unsaid and should have been said! I like to think they know. I have sat down and talked with that person and explained.... I know it is not the same as having them here looking them in the eye. Some days I want to rewind the clock, other days I am not sure I can deal with what that means!
Yes with all that rewinding I wonder how it will change the future and what I would miss out on because I had turned the clock back. Would I have met my husband...., would I have had children, would I still be alive.... The questions go on to infinity and beyond. The reality is very frightening either way really!