Category Archives: coping mechanisms
Sunday Thoughts 8-28-2022
August 2022 is almost a thing of the past. Time is whizzing past my head at an astonishing speed and the year will be gone if I blink. I spend too much time being upset at what is going on in the world around me, helpless to do much, if anything, to stop it. I find myself grateful for all the things I have to insulate me from too much grief.
Listening to music, playing in my art room, reading books, talking with friends, gardening and time to myself all help me deal with what is going on around me. If I can’t FIX what’s happening, at least I can make it so I’m not contributing to it. I have more than enough to handle in my OWN little world.
I hope that you, also, have things that help you cope.
Filed under coping mechanisms, Thoughts on a ________
“Oh, Happy Day…”
I guess you can tell by my posts that I’ve been enjoying listening to a lot of music lately. Music is magic, in my opinion, transporting us to another place, either taking us back to where we were when we first heard it, making aches, pains, concerns simply drop away, or take us to the place the singer takes us in a new song, or their take on a classic that makes us hear the words in a different way.
I’m lucky because I have a lot of coping mechanisms that give me some relief from the hostility and frustration and helplessness I feel about what is going on in our beautiful world or to keep me calm in the face of any unpleasantness or concerns I feel about what is going on in my personal world.
- Music – if I’m outside by myself, I sing. Inside, I watch music videos with my headphones on, or listen to songs on my MP3 player
- Reading – I’m in the middle of “Forgotten in Death” by J.D. Robb, “Life Force” by Tony Robbins, and listening to a video on Cryptocurrency.
- Art – finding it on the net and sharing it with you, or playing in my art room
- Animals – playing with our dog, Amber, and our cat, Abby.
- Exercise – yoga stretching
- Gardening – getting my veggie garden going and working in my flower planters
What coping mechanisms help you?
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, coping mechanisms
Soaring
With all that’s going on in the world, it’s hard to keep your head above water. It would be easy (and understandable) to simply give in to all the ugliness and pain and be crushed under its weight.
I’m finding ways to get through –
- Do what I can to help
- keep up with enough news to know what is happening
- Immerse myself in the beauty that ALSO abounds in our world – the arts, books, music, stories of what others are doing to make our world a better place, talking to our son, hugging my husband and our pets, reaching out to friends and family
- escape to my art room to try to create something healing for myself, and maybe others
- look for plants for my early spring veggie garden
- start to plan to get our yard in shape after the winter
- exercise to try to make myself stronger physically
- ACKNOWLEDGE that there are many, many things I cannot control
What do YOU do to cope?
Filed under Challenges, coping mechanisms
Elephant in the Room
The world is such a challenging place now. We do what we can to help and reach for inner strength to cope. Love is a big part of that. Reach out.
Filed under Challenges, coping mechanisms, love
Confusion
It seems to me that our world is a mass of mixed signals and confusion. It’s hard to know what to think, what to feel, which way to jump.
I’m kind of like a deer frozen in the headlights, concentrating on one day at a time, trying to do what I can, when I can, one careful step at a time, with a lot of trying to escape thrown in, too, since there is so much happening that I can’t do anything about.
The only thing I can come up with is to try to personally stay as strong as I can, continuing to look for any ways to try to make things better wherever I can find.
I wish I were a fairy godmother, able to wave my wand, think good thoughts, and save the world.
Filed under Attitude, caring, Challenges, Changes, character-building exercises, coping mechanisms
Find Something That Works for You
Our son is really into meditation and it has really helped him.
He used to have quite a bit of frustration. At times it would erupt – one time resulting in broken bones in his hand when he ‘punched a chair.’ (The chair won.)
Over the years he has practiced meditation, even going to places where he could receive instruction in how to do it better. He has taken bits and pieces and made his own form now. He practices every day now, getting up early so that he can practice before he starts his work for the day. I don’t know if he does it again in the evening or not. It has made a world of difference for him. He is content and happy now, able to handle even really frustrating situations with an amazing maturity.
He has tried to get ME to try it, and I have. I’m a dismal failure. I guess I don’t want to do it badly enough. I simply cannot turn my mind off, rechannel my thoughts, or use any of the many suggestions he has made. I envy him and now look to HIM when I need help dealing with things.
The best thing I’ve come up with is finding Art – like that above – in which I can lose myself. Music is a huge help, too. Music I loved in the past transports me to where I was when I first heard the song. I’m finding new music and new artists I find amazing. Frustration, anger, and depression simply melt away. Books help. I dive into the worlds of characters I love, leaving my concerns somewhere else as I immerse myself in their lives. Yoga is becoming a coping mechanism, as well. It’s really hard for me to totally relax, but I come really close when I practice my yoga stretches and poses. When I finish, my mind is calm and my body feels looser.
The world is a very complicated place now. I hope you can find something that works for YOU.
Filed under Challenges, Changes, coping mechanisms
Freebie!
I’m enjoying feeling better. My snark bucket is filling and I’m finding myself smiling to myself more now – an ominous sign, according to my husband.
I come by it honestly. My dad used to say, when I came out, ready for a date, ‘Nice dress.’ I learned early on that his comment meant that he thought it was too short, too tight, too ‘something’ for me to get his approval. It took me a long time to stop looking myself over to find out what was wrong and simply accept a compliment that came my way when I grew to adulthood.
Being raised by my parents was a gift that keeps on giving even now. Being able to stand back and see the humor in any given situation is a lifesaver for me. Instead of building tension inside at all the things I find upsetting, I can say something sarcastic in the privacy of my own mind, making me smile, rather than losing it.
My mother taught me practicality and strength. Her favorite quote was, “It’s better to do any reasonable thing quickly, rather than search hesitantly for the ideal.” I loved it when she got angry at a situation. She could stand on her feet and say what she thought (the length of her words and sentences depended on the degree of her anger.) She could completely undermine someone with a few words while the smarter ones in the group appreciated it wholeheartedly and the less smart tried to figure out what she had said. :0) )
Coping mechanisms are crucially important in our world today. I hope you have a bucketful to help you, too.
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes, coping mechanisms, Funny Signs - Humor, sass
Letting Go
I have learned lately that facing your weaknesses is important. I also dealt with a deep fear and made it through. I had the help of wonderful, caring friends, but you are essentially alone when actually dealing with things.
I had a month of trying to face that my husband might have to live alone. I am now taking some positive steps to make things easier for him in case we face this again for whatever reason. The fact that I am making a list of steps I want to take, setting things up differently that I handle routinely, listing reminders for him, has largely calmed me down.
I have let a lot of the fear go.
I don’t think – if I have to face a similar situation again – it will be as bad.
Taking care of what I CAN will help both of us going forward.
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Changes, coping mechanisms
Coping Mechanisms
With all the pain and suffering going on in our world today, I’m conscious of trying to stay emotionally afloat. I thought you might be having some trouble from time to time, too, and thought it might be good for us to share ways that we try to cope. These are some of the things that help me – in no particular order. I hope you’ll share what helps YOU.
- Writing this blog. I love finding things that I think are heartwarming, amazing, or wonderful to share.
- Trying to learn new art techniques and trying them in my art room.
- Working in the yard and/or square foot garden and taking pictures of successes.
- Reading books by favorite authors and/or discovering new ones.
- Refurbishing our yard art and working on making Christmas presents for friends.
- Discovering new websites and reading articles giving me new information and new perspective.
- Reaching out to friends and family
- Listening to music
- Hugging my husband and making him laugh
- Making a ‘SHOULD’ list and checking something off
Filed under Attitude, Beautiful Boxes, Challenges, coping mechanisms, Encouragement
My Escapes
“When the world is too much with us…” (William Wordsworth) – it’s essential to have an escape or two.
With some people, it’s exercise (I wish I felt this way :0) ). Others have photography, or talking long walks, or listening to music. Escaping with TV programs or a DVD can take you away. With the world the way it is today and the way people are reacting to it, we NEED to find things that help us cope.
I’m lucky to have many things that help me –
- I can spend time in my art room, playing with a new technique, or work on refurbishing our yard art in the shop.
- I can work in my veggie garden or my flowers.
- I listen to my favorite music via YouTube or my MP3 player.
- Escaping into a favorite book series is a wonderful way for me to ‘get away’
Lately I’m spreading my time between the refurbishing project and reading.
I’m working on a yard art piece in the shop we call our ‘cleaning robot.’ I may be able to finish him up this morning, but will probably wait to bring him out because we have a 70% chance of rain today. I will take pics to share with you when he’s finished, though.
I pre-ordered the latest two ‘In Death’ Series book by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) to come out in paperback. The first should arrive the last of July. I’m enjoying re-reading the series in preparation for the new additions. I’m on “Festive in Death” – #39 in the series of what WILL be 54, when the hardback comes out in February of 2022. I can immerse myself in Eve Dallas’ world, so different from my own – a very welcome respite.
I hope that you also have escapes when the world is too much with you –
Filed under coping mechanisms
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