Try This Instead! This thread is for tips on how to center yourself when you are feeling grumpy

[Necklush]

Try This Instead! This thread is for tips on how to center yourself when you are feeling grumpy

Do you have something you do to calm your mind? It can be anything. Thoughts, drinks, food, mantras.

This thread is for posting things you like to do to relax your head when you are grrrrrr.

[Necklush]

envision a Pink Elephant.

When i was a kid there was a giant pink elephant statue that my mum used to take me to. It was HUGE. i loved to just stand there and look at it. I think of it now to remind myself of when I had not a worry in the world. Kinda calms me down... thanks giant pink elephant!

[Former_Member]

Okay, this might sound odd but... I've been riding horses on and off since I was 7 years old.

When I am feeling stressed out (especially at night when I can't sleep), I think about riding a white horse and clearing great big jumps with him/her. I think it might symbolize two things: The first being that I can always overcome my hurdles tomorrow, and the second is that riding is fairly soothing, especially the jumps, because in that split second you are free from gravity, but you always know that you will land back on the Earth.

Hmmm... that's the first time I ever really thought about this so deeply. I guess I owe you a TY!

xoxo

[SharonsCompendium]

That's a nice thought, NatanyaElka. My daughter is a horseback rider, and she has talked about jumping in much the same way.

I like to recall a saying I learned when my husband and I took a meditation class from a local Buddhist sangha with a wonderful teacher. He would suggest, when things are not going your way, to say to yourself, "This is how it is now." It's amazing to me how calming that simple statement can be.

[AlbinaRose]

Stressed? For immediate relief, I automatically reach for chocolate or a glass of red wine. They seem to always do the trick as a quick fix. If I need some real deep relaxation, though, that's when I fill the tub with very warm water, bubbles, dim the lights, burn my nag champa incense, put on some soft music and get lost in my thoughts of faeries, enchanted forests, magical creatures, castles......pure and total escapism. :) I have a huge skylight over the tub so if it's nighttime and I'm lucky and the stars are all aligned figuratively speaking, the sky will be filled with stars or a full moon shining down on the floor giving the room a very surreal and dreamy feel.

I love reading the different ways others have to get through a stressful time. :)

[Former_Member]

I love these suggestions! I now have a vision of a chocolate covered pink elephant. I love it! What I do is simply smile. Smiling tricks your brain into an emotion it was not ready for. If that does not work I insert a milky way into my mouth and close my eyes. That seems to work miracles!

[Necklush]

ah yes and the mother of all calm downs is

breath in thru the nose and out thru your mouth... Repeat until you are better...

[nivenglassoriginals]

I hear ya, Albina! Who can be stressed with a handful of dark chocolate just ready to be savored?

[nivenglassoriginals]

Love that, ArtyDidact - "This is how it is now."

Wow.

Thank you!

[Davs]

I paint and drink coffee.:)

[brienna]

Here are a few of my calming practices:

*stepping outside for fresh air and sunshine (preferably in my garden with lots of flowers and birds chirping, ahhh)

*going to an animal shelter and playing with the kittens (watch out, you might take them all home though... so if you already have a pet, hug them instead and you'll feel instantly better... I have two neighborhood cats who own me now and they are so so cute)

*yoga headstand (only if you know how to practice safely - otherwise a yoga class is best)

*bubble bath (I haven't had one in ages as we don't have a tub in our little Victorian home in Cambridge... just not enough room... hah, don't worry, we do have a standing shower though and that will do)

*hot tea (sleepytime is my favorite)

*looking through an old children's book (nothing like revisiting your childhood to bring you back to your sweet innocent self)

*eating the bottoms off all the boxed chocolates so you can find out what's in the center (always cheers me up... just make sure no one was supposed to be sharing, otherwise it might not cheer them up)

*going for a walk/run/lift (nothing like a good endorphin rush to clear the head)

*getting a massage (wouldn't that be awesome if anytime we felt stressed we could do this... yeahhh, that would be the life... but at least you can occasionally schedule one and have something to look forward to, right?)

*and most importantly hugs - hugging my friends and my husband always makes me feel better instantly. I suppose it brings you back to what's important, and that's here and now with the people you love.

love,
brienna

[Necklush]

mmm, massages, chocolates, bubbles, yoga!

[Former_Member]

A massage is the ultimate wonderful thing... my friend is a practicing Reiki master/massage therapist. I sometimes treat myself and fall asleep while meditating while she works on me, which I don't normally do! ;)

[nivenglassoriginals]

Have you ever had your hands and wrists massaged? 'Heaven' for anyone using fine motor skills all day with their work. Eases the stress of overworked fingers and wrists.

Ahhhhh.........

: )

[Former_Member]

Hmmm... I've never had my hands worked on without the rest of my body, no. But it absolutely makes sense to ask for someone to do that!

What a great idea... I should tell my friend :) Thank you!

[nivenglassoriginals]

It's wonderful - the favorite part of a massage for me because my hands take such a beating working with glass and doing tiny work all day.

We often do it in yoga - as the instructor knows that she has a glass artist and also a harpist in class - with similar repetitive injury issues.

[Former_Member]

Interesting. I used to be a really intense yoga practitioner, but I had to take a break for more studio time and horseback riding... my ULTIMATE stress relief.

I don't find that I have too much repetitive hand issues, but my eyes get strained easily, so I have two pairs of glasses ~ one studio, and the others are just cute.

I also love trance music (Troy & Stephano know this), so I often just put on something and just bliss out. No intentional meditation, just the sound. I usually lie down on the floor when I do it, and I just let my mind take me where it needs to go...

[Former_Member]

Belly breathing and reminding myself to drop my shoulders-try it, it's an instant release

[Former_Member]

Nothing de-stresses me like playing with my dog. It reconnects me with my inner 5 year old:) I have just bought a massage chair as well. A combined rolling/shiatsu thing. It is a bit painful at the moment, but I am sure it will do good things in the long run. Love all your tips. Will definitely try some of them.

[Necklush]

Yes this is a great thread! Thank you for all of your tips!... deep breathing, puppies!!! it's pretty much perfect... keep the good thoughts coming... ! - Troy

[Former_Member]

I bake, and I cook, that's really what gets me calm and relaxed, as I can't really stay angry when I am baking a cake, muffins, or cookies.

Another thing I do, is sit down with a pad and paper and just write out the first words that come to my mind, or, if it's someone who has made me unhappy, or hurt my feelings, I write a short note, then burn it, letting my negative feelings drift away like smoke.

[AnaninaCo]

loving reading through these techniques! i could not have come across this thread on a more appropriate day ;-). thank you all for sharing, i will definitely be using some of these.

before his passing, my stepdad used to always tell me that everything is a choice--you can choose to be happy or you can choose to be sad. you may not choose the things that happen to you, but you can choose the way you react to these things, making a world of a difference on the outcome of your day. the mind is an incredibly powerful thing, it can make a heaven out of hell or a hell out of heaven. whenever i'm stressed, i always try to pause and remind myself of this.

herbal teas, deep breaths, playing with my dog, and chocolate! all excellent stress relievers. :)

[Necklush]

NinaMantra says

before his passing, my stepdad used to always tell me that everything is a choice--you can choose to be happy or you can choose to be sad. you may not choose the things that happen to you, but you can choose the way you react to these things, making a world of a difference on the outcome of your day.

___________________________________________

I think he was exactly right! Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world. I think he gave you great advice!


It is great to read all of these posts everyone! Welcome all! Keep them coming... what a great place to come to after a long day! - Troy

[Necklush]

Lately just tuning everything out and putting on my headphones seems to clear the ADD out of my head. In fact I am going to do that now... bye ya'll! Have a good weekend;) T

[TheoryAvenue]

I get in the shower, close my eyes and envision the water washing away all the stress..weird, but after 20mins standing there i feel totally refreshed.