Blogtober Day 22: How I de-stress and find my calm, and how you can too.

Disclaimer:  This is not medical advice in any way.  If you have problems dealing with stress or sometimes feel overwhelmed (like I do) please consult your doctor or medical professional.    

Hi Honeys, 

What's the first thing that jumps into your mind when I say the word meditate?  

As my health (and mobility) have worsened these past few years, I've tried to embrace the concept of self care.  The care and maintenance of this fleshy shell I walk around in hasn't ever been a priority to me, I'm ashamed to say.  Life has always been too full, too busy, and for every minute in the day I always had three minutes worth of stuff to do. 

Even now, when I have more time to myself,self care doesn't come easily to me. There is a part of my mind that considers it so selfish to think only of myself, even when it's related to my health.  I'm sure a very smart person somewhere could go into the psychological side of why that is but I'm not that smart so I won't be the one making any sense of it all 😖 

Back to meditating.  Do you meditate honeys?  Maybe, like me, you do and don't even know it! I should explain...

I was told (to my great surprise) around a year or so ago that what I do to find calm, to avoid panic attacks, is actually a form of meditation.  I honestly had no idea, I only knew that it worked and had even helped me get through a CT scan at the hospital. 

I'll start from the beginning, will I honeys?  Before I do, why don't you fetch a cuppa, and maybe a cookie or two, and I'll meet you back here after the page break? 

Welcome back dear ones, do you have your cuppa? Me too ☕  Make yourself comfy honeys and enjoy your cuppa 💖 

 

My journey to finding my calm place all started when I saw a beautiful canvas print of a beach scene and immediately fell in love with it.  Here it is... 

I loved everything about it and just couldn't stop staring at it.  I know this sounds odd but I felt a connection to it.  It was on clearance and cost me around £5 or £6 - which stunned me honeys.  How can something so beautiful cost so little?  

Hubby said that maybe it was meant for me (that I was meant to have it.)  Well, whatever the reason, I just knew that I loved it and after walking around our home looking for the perfect place for it.  I decided to put it in our master bedroom.    

Whenever I found myself feeling anxious or just not having a good day, I would sit on the bed and stare at the beautiful beach scene.  I did this so often that I could see it clearly even if I closed my eyes.  Every detail was memorised and the more I studied it the more I loved it. 

Over time, I found that if I was having a bad day at work or maybe at the hospital waiting to have my bloods done or anything else where I was away from home, that I could close my eyes and see my beach print.   

In fact I've been doing it for so long now that I can, in my mind's eye, place a hand onto the handrail in the canvas and step onto the sand covered stairs.  My imagination lets me walk down the stairs and even walk across the sand, feeling the sand between my toes and the salty air on my face.  

I mentioned earlier that my beach scene had helped me to cope with having a CT scan in hospital.  You can read about my appointment here honeys, I was on my own and I really was very scared.  I'd had a chest infection for over four months and it just refused to go away so the scan was important but it was in a part of the hospital I hadn't ever been before and I didn't want anybody else to feel the way that I had. 

I wrote that blog post in the hope that it could help others to avoid being as scared as I was by explaining what happened, step by step. Knowledge is power dear ones.  I did explain how my canvas helped me, even if it was long distance 😊

How To Find Your Own Calm Place

Of course, it doesn't have to be a beach print 😊  Your retreat, your own wee oasis of calm can be anything that speaks to you honeys.  It can be a piece of music, a poem you can recite to yourself, a happy memory, or yes, a beautiful painting or print.  It should be something you feel drawn to.

When you find your own calm place, you have to nurture it.  My beach scene didn't become a place I can "step into" overnight.  It's taken some time to become as "real" as it is to me in stressful situations but now I wouldn't be without it.  Find your calm place honeys. Find it and nurture it and make it yours 💖 

Calming  Activities

There are so many ways to nurture calm.  These are some of my favourites...   

Colouring

I don't sleep well  so I often find myself the only one awake in the wee small hours and I can happily pass the time with my colouring pencils and books.  There is something so soothing about the noise of the pencils on the paper and in seeing the picture come to life 💖  

Music 

Another wonderfully calming activity and if everyone in the house is asleep, you can listen with headphones.  I've always listened to my music with headphones on, it's lovely and lets you disappear into your own little musical world.  Choose music that makes you feel good honeys, that makes you smile, then put your headphones on and enjoy 💗  

Yoga

I began yoga to help with my mobility problems relating to arthritis, but you don't have to suffer health issues to enjoy all of the benefits of gentle stretches and movements.  It doesn't have to be all of those complicated, gravity defying positions we see on Instagram (although they are awesome.)  It can be beginners level and can make you feel fabulous.  After a few months I would feel bad on days I hadn't been able to follow my dvd.  

My first two dvds (I've added to my library since then but I'm still on beginners level) are still my favourites and are by a wonderful lady called Barbara Currie.  If you want to try some gentle exercises, she has a youtube channel you can find here.  Do be careful if you haven't tried yoga before. 

Call A Friend For A Chat 

Sometimes just a chat and a laugh can make the clouds go away and make the day sunny again.  The old saying " a problem shared is a problem halved" really is true too.  Even if there isn't a problem, if you just feel sad or down, sometimes time spent laughing and chatting makes a world of a difference.  

If you do have a problem and would rather speak to someone outside of your family and friends group there is always someone to talk to honeys.  The Samaritans have a wonderful contact page here, with their phone number which is manned 24 hours a day, it has an app to download, an email address that is also manned 24 hours a day and you can also write them a letter too.    

Hug Your Furbabies

I've saved the best for last 💖   Nobody in our lives will ever love us as much as our furbabies do.  They'll listen and hug and never laugh at their Mum doing yoga really badly (bless her, our furbaby Jade has never laughed when I'm sure I might have, if I'd been watching me lol) 

  

Over to you then honeys, how do you find your calm? Till next time dear ones, thank you for keeping me company and see you tomorrow, stay warm and safe, hugs always xx