Morning all, here’s the 2nd post in probably a series of self-care things I do. Yesterday, I wrote about personal cares, specifically grooming for the handicapped. Today, I talk about self care in the broader sense.
Emotional and Mental Health
Ooh look, I can use headings! Just kidding. You can fill a pitcher with lemonade, and carry it to the desk, to have on hand to drink. However, eventually that sucker is going to get empty, and needs to be refilled. These are the things I do to recharge.
Naps… So freaking important. I get overstimulated easily. Even watching a movie can do it. Sometimes, I get so drained, that I can’t process a damned thing anymore. High energy people are draining as well. A nap allows me to reset just enough that I don’t end up a puddle of mental mush. It also allows my physical to temporarily recharge.
I read, it’s like my brain is starving, the way I read. It doesn’t matter if it is a social media platform, or a simple trash novel. It can be history, recovery, any topic. I read. If I can escape the reality I am physically in, especially with the body pain for as little as 15 minutes, it helps.
Writing. This blog, is in a large part my journal that I share with the world. I never put anything in here that doesn’t technically show up in a journal. For the worst stuff, it goes in a physical pen and paper journal. On the days I just can’t. text to speech for the win Alex. I have a journal app I bought a thousand years ago, and always redownload when I move to a new computer.
Stitching. This not only fuels my creativity, it also gives me a way to vent. As I am stabbing something millions of times, either with a needle, or a hook, or even by machine, the cathartic action recharges my batteries.
Stretching. I’m not a yoga princess. I’m an old fat woman with a creaky body. The endorphins released by simple physical movements… sometimes when my neck pops is almost orgasmic.
Audiobooks and Podcasts. While I am doing other things, I always have some noise in the background. In fact, several posts have been inspired by something I heard in a book or a podcast. Rarely does a podcast have music loud enough in the background that gets me overstimulated. I’m never alone.
Sketching, drawing, and painting. Sometimes, tuning in to that pool of my brain, and going for a swim helps me get feelings and emotions out that words will never convey. I always have a sketch book nearby, with several forms of writing implement. Watercolors, acrylics, I don’t care. The emotion of color, the visceral disemboweling of darks and lights, it gets the black part of my soul outside of my brain.
Singing. Now in a household with a man who has an audible disorder, this is problematic. However, in the car, all bets are off. I can sit in the car, drive around, and sing along with a country song, or sing songs and hymns from my childhood. Nobody cares if I caterwaul out there. Of course, the windows are rolled up.
Simple games. I’ve written about this before. Monopoly and card games on my tablet keep me distracted from the chaos inside my brain. The storm inside sometimes overwhelms me to the point that I just can’t do a damned thing. This is part of the reason I pre-write most of this blog. When I need and must have a day off. I can enter and focus exclusively on a game.
Camping. This is a mega recharge. The sounds and scents of nature don’t overwhelm. Watching squirrels or geese, their antics just does me right. Sitting in front of a small fire, and relaxing to the point that nothing gets in the way is so important. Even just sitting in the tent, watching a video, I can get out, and away from the cobwebs of my brain.
Prayer. Reaching out in my soul to a Higher Power. Doesn’t matter what my personal religious beliefs are, having a quick conversation, or even a scream from the heart with my chosen Divine… Reconnects me to the source of my Recovery. I can recharge quickly, and easily, from a simple internal, “Help me, I hurt.” It is still the most effective prayer I know.
Lastly, documentaries and learning. I watch mostly documentaries on video. If its not a documentary, it’s a how to video on the latest thing I am interested in. In theory, I know how to make a tornado omelet, and in theory, I can climb a mountain, all from watching how others do things. Mathematics as well. The beauty of doing math problems, where the rules are well known, saves my sanity. There is no slithery people things involved with math. It’s a constant. It saves my sanity.
Please watch for the last post in this series, probably going live tomorrow. Thank you so much for being you. -L
AnonymousKnitter 