1. Deep breathing (a underestimated first defense in calming down)
2. Laughing. I love watching comedies and in general, anything funny. I like to nurture my sense of humor.
3. Wait – don’t react right away
4. Talking with my husband or a trusted friend
5. Being in nature
6. Hugging and cuddling my children
7. Keeping a clean, uncluttered home and keeping things well organized and easy to find
8. Making sure my to-do list doesn’t get too long.
9. Playing guitar
10. Keeping a one-sentence journal
11. Getting shit DONE! I don’t procrastinate.
12. Gardening
13. Letting it go
14. Dancing
15. Cooking and blogging. Blogging allows me to connect with others about food and health
16. Being a total goof ball (I’m not a very serious person, so this comes easy)
17. Yoga
18. Being alone, taking time for myself
19. Reading self-help books or other uplifting books
20. Asking for help
21. Visualization. I do have a happy place. I have calming balancing images that bring me back to the present.
This post is so timely for me dear. Thank you I seriously needed it!
I’m so glad this was helpful for you, Gabby.
Wishing you well.
Beautiful post. Thank you for sharing. I love this one especially: “I will forgive myself for the mistakes I’ve made in life.”
Have you ever heard of Byron Katie? I love her process for stopping negative thoughts in their tracks. Thank you for all the resources. I’ve written the book titles down for my next trip to the library.
Thanks for the reference. I just googled her. How interesting. In my groups I always start out by helping the patients identify their automatic negative thoughts (there are 9 of them), then we do examples, then we move into prescriptions for healing those thoughts. It’s a big realization for some folks – that they actually have control over their minds, thoughts and feelings. It’s incredibly empowering.
I like her simple 4 question method. I will have to read up on that a little more. I am always interested in bringing new material into my therapy.
Thanks so much for the resource!
Such an informative post Amber on a very critical subject that often gets overlooked in our society. I recently started writing down all my thoughts on paper for the day right before bed. It helps clear my mind. I also find lists help me as I love the feeling of checking an item off the list and being done with a tast. Have a lovely long weekend friend!
Thank you sweet friend. I’m also such a big list maker too. Always great hearing from you.
Hugs,
–Amber
What a beautiful post, Amber. There is so mucho wisdom here. Thank you for reminding us all about the importance of mental health too:) have a fabulous weekend!
Thank you my dear.
Hope you’re well.
You are such an inspiration, woman! Beautifully written words. I think mental health is key and unfortunately so many people suffer imbalances in this area. My mom worked as a mental health counsellor until she retired a few years ago and still does other things things like breath therapy, hypnotherapy and other neat healing modalities. From an early age I was exposed to affirmations and visualization work… and yet many times I forget. Thanks for the reminder. Perfect for me right now! xo
Thank you, Heather.
That made me smile about your mom and your exposure to relaxation techniques at an early age. I have worked hard at helping my kiddos learn these tools for coping – and they do use them. Affirmations are so HUGE for me and our family. We try and make them a regular part of our vernacular. Thanks for stopping by today.
Yes, this is a timely posting. I am in the midst of a great deal of work for myself. I will check out some of these books and sites. Thanks!
I hope you find some of them helpful.
Wonderful post! Such a great reminder that self-care should be a top priority. I really like that you point out how it is a never-ending journey. This is so true! I really enjoyed your self-affirmations, as well. One important affirmation for me is to remind myself to stay true to me. It is ok for me to have opinions just as it is ok for others to have them…..no one is more important. Sometimes I feel that I worry too much about how others feel (i.e. worrying about offending) instead of focusing on how I feel and what is best for me. I LOVE the art work used in this post! I have since went to Rita Loyd’s website and bookmarked it. Thank you for your amazing words. ~Nicole Marie