We
all have “those days.” Everything seems
to go wrong. With my upcoming move to
California, I’ve had a lot of them recently.
I am dropping things, spilling things, making far more typos, and my
mood swings are terrible.
Occasionally
I allow myself a few minutes to feel sorry for myself. Or, I may cry for a while. Whatever.
However, I don’t permit myself to stay down for too long. It would be easy to crawl into bed and ignore
everything around me. I could, but it
wouldn’t change anything.
Yesterday
was a difficult day, very stressful. I
started cleaning the house. Since we’ve
been packing for weeks, my house is a mess!
Not dirty, but cluttered. As I
was racing around the house picking up this and that, my husband called out to
me, “Why don’t you sit down and relax a while?”
I answered, “I can’t sit right now.”
Physical activity helps me shake anxiety. I could have done exercises, but I chose to
do something useful.
After
going from one room to another, organizing and putting things where they belong
for about ½ an hour, my mind and body were more relaxed. I don’t know about you, but when I get really
stressed, my mind begins thinking worst-case-scenario-type things. Moving around quiets those thoughts. I begin thinking clearly and logically again. I then sat down at my desk and got some of my
business work done.
I
am not a victim. Things do not happen “to
me.” I personally create situations
where challenging things sometimes happen.
With my clear mind, I remind myself of this. I then remind myself what a good life I
have. I am in relatively good
health. I have a loving husband,
children and grandchildren. Once the chaos
of this move, I will be able to see my children and granddaughters frequently.
My bills get paid every month. No, I’m
not a six-figure earner. So what? My happiness does not rely on money.
Sometimes
when I feel anxiety arising, I’ll stop and take deep breaths. I once heard a psychologist call it “square
breathing.” I hold my breath in for ten
seconds; then release it slowly for ten seconds. When I’ve blown as much air out as I am able,
I again hold it for ten seconds. I’ll
repeat the process two or three times.
For me at least, it can stop me from having an anxiety attack.
I know some of you are
wondering why I don’t call upon God at difficult times. I am not a Christian. I call myself Jewish, but I am not very
religious.
I expect more difficult days in
the next few weeks until we get settled in our new home in California. I’ll use the “tools” I have to cope and not
become a basket case.
I know how the Christians among
you likely handle stress, and I actually envy you your strong belief in
God. However, I would like to know what
other methods readers of this post use to calm themselves in difficult times.
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