You know when I thought about the topic for this blog?
WHEN I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FREAKING MEDITATING.
Right now, I’m primarily using this app called ‘Calm,’ which is not that bad. The free features are perfect for a beginner like me to keep busy I mean CALM. After a couple of weeks, I decided to actually pay(!?!?) for the whole app, and I’m surprisingly glad I did. There are meditations for everything. And for each category, you can choose what length of time works best for you.
My favorite feature is the sleep stories. They’ re just someone reading a story in a soothing voice. Sometimes it’s super boring. Sometimes it’s a metaphor. Whatever. They’re great. There’s one non-fiction one that I have never been able to stay awake through! And there’s one fiction one about how cats basically came from dragons! LOVED IT!
Chai tea in the mornings is a particular treat. I like to have chai tea on the mornings when I have the time to just sit comfortably and relax. Coffee is for mornings where I’m in a hurry and breakfast is synonymous with multi-tasking. But chai tea days are those special and cherished leisurely mornings where you can breathe deeply, eat slowly, and appreciate your surroundings. More days should be chai tea days. It’s caffeine – it’s energy, but still it somehow relaxes me while simultaneously preparing and motivating me to be productive without emphatically worrying about being productive.
A while back, I took a tai chi class through Pierce College continuing education. It was in the morning. On Saturdays. While I really enjoyed it, I sadly did not attend every class. It was in the morning. On Saturdays. ugh.
However, on the days that I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed and participated, I found the class to be really relaxing and fun. I liked the explanations of the patterned movements, and the fact that everything meant something. The practice required just enough focus to feel like meditation, while not so much brainpower was needed to make it overwhelming and exhausting. It was challenging, but not overly so. It was, surprisingly harder than I thought it would be – requiring strong, steady, slow, and, to an extent, precise muscle movement is not as easy as it looks! But still, it made me feel solid and strong as well as surprisingly graceful. Even though we were all beginners, when we started to get used to the pattern, and were executing the movements in sync, it was fun to feel like a part of something bigger – like our energies were all working together to make something beautiful and meaningful.
But, for me, Tai Chi is a practice more easily initiated in the evening. Mornings are hard for me already, as an impatient insomniac, so I feel like that likely detracted significantly from my enjoyment and motivation. In the evenings, when preparing for bed, Tai Chi can help slow the racing thoughts by slowing the body and having something on which to focus – it’s a peaceful strengthening routine that prepares my body for a more efficient resting of the mind and body. So for me, the best way to appreciate and benefit from this calming and centering exercise, is to practice Tai Chi in the evenings.
Want to know more about Tai Chi? Here’s a beginner’s guide:
Pretending to be a sim is a great way to assess your mood when you feel like crap, but are having a hard time figuring out why. You know those needs bars in the game the Sims? When you get really overwhelmed, think of those and how you would deal with them in the Sims. You evaluate where you are in each category – are you in the green? Or is the bar red with that arrow to the left? Identify the problem areas and fix them in order of easiest-hardest.
S – Self-scan :
Think of each need category and assess your level. It helps to ask yourself questions more like; “When did I last eat” rather than, “Am I hungry.” Sometimes you don’t know why you feel the way you feel, or what needs the most attention.
I – Itemize improvements:
Think of how you can fix each problem area and then organize your plans to get back in the green in a way that makes sense to you. Usually that’s easiest to hardest, but sometimes you start with the category that is the MOST RED. Sure, you might be in the kitchen with a snack on your way to your mouth, but if you’re about to pee your pants, do that first. (please).
M – Manage momentum:
I guess that’s a fancy way of saying just do it.
Bladder
Easiest fix. GO POTTY!
Hunger
Eat something. Too hard to decide or to make something? Fruit and string cheese are my go-tos. Just stick it in your mouth. It’s also handy to prepare by stocking up on super easy meals for hunger emergencies. My emergency meal is Yakitori chicken and fried rice from Costco. It’s yummy, hot, and takes three minutes in the microwave.
yummmmmmmm
Hygiene
Take a shower – you stink! Too hard to stand up? Sit down in the shower. No rule says you can’t. (I call it a shather). Or take a bath. Still too much work? Wash your face. Brush your teeth or hair. Invest in those make-up removal wipes for when even that is too hard. Been wearing the same clothes for three days? Change ’em!
Energy
Take a nap. Go to bed. Eat bananas, oatmeal, spinach, almonds, or other high-energy foods. Drink some coffee or other caffeinated beverage if there are things you HAVE to do and shut-eye is off the table for now. Anything else give you energy? Jump on it! (energetically).
Do something you have fun (or used to have fun doing). See a movie, hang out with friends, play laser tag. If you’re thinking, “Ugh… FUN. What even is that?” Just take baby steps. Youtube ‘unlikely animal friendships,’ or ‘kitten derp.’ Play your favorite cheerful song. Just take three minutes and listen to it. Or if you feel able and spritely, move your body WHILE you listen to it! Dance parties are high energy, but you can handle it for ONE song maybe, right? It might be helpful to make a note whenever something you do makes you even a little happy. Then you can refer to it when your fun meter is especially low.
This is one that helps me:
Social
Yeah, yeah interact with someone. (This is especially tough if you are an introvert, like I am.) You may hate the idea of it, but your hate will probably lessen if you are actually doing something with someone else. Hang out with friends, go to an event, talk to someone for just 5 minutes. You don’t really want to see any of your friends? Okay, just leave the house and have a random positive interaction with someone – anyone. The best way to do this is with someone in customer service – it is LITERALLY part of their job to try to connect and be nice to you. Go grab a coffee and remember to smile at your barista and say hello, please, and thank you. If that’s too long of an interaction, then try complimenting someone on something. It doesn’t really matter what (well, don’t be offensive). You don’t even have to particularly believe it. As you’re passing a stranger, just pick something about them, and then say you like it. Like, “Hey – cute shoes!” It takes three words. Two if you leave out, “hey.” Minimal effort, you make someone else feel good, which will in turn make you feel good, and LOOK you had a social interaction! Congratulations! Your bar is moving towards the green! If even leaving the house is unthinkable, invite someone over. Specify that you might be in your pajamas. Can’t even bear the thought of being in the company of another human? Cuddle up to your pet or hug a stuffed animal. Reach out to people you care about via facebook, email, chat, whatever. Send someone a text letting them know you’re thinking about them. Even something that small can cheer you up. Try not to neglect your important relationships.
Comfort
Here’s where naps can come in handy yet again. Find your softest blanket and warmest slippers and snuggle on the couch with some mac & cheese and your favorite book. Pretend you’re a human burrito. Take a hot bubble bath and use that special body wash. Treat yo’ self to a mini-spa experience! If you’re like me (and many other ladies), you have mysteriously accumulated a ton of miscellaneous body lotion. Get rid of it – slather it on your body. Paint your nails while watching a silly rom-com. IDK… what comforts YOU? Do THAT.
*but be careful with eating TOO much food, or relying as food as your primary comfort tool. This can often backfire and make you feel worse, guilty, and bloated. After you eat some comfort food, and you find yourself wanting more, try to ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” Then wait 20 minutes before getting more.
Where are you? Or where do you go often? Is it pretty? Calming? Comforting? Or…is it a source of anxiety, annoyance, and distress? Make some changes. Ok, so you can’t afford to move to a better apartment or quit your job. But you can move furniture, clean, paint walls, and declutter! Can you spruce up your office space in any way? Add a cheerful plant or cozy seat cushion? What can you do? LOTS! But… Baby steps again. Think about what specifically you don’t like about your environment and start there. Start small. For example, my bathroom had looked the same since we moved here, and I was tired of it. I didn’t want to go in there. To me, it was just a boring reminder of how stupid the past was. It was uncomfortable, crowded, and boring. I thought the shower curtain was ugly. So I bought a new shower curtain. I changed those cabinet knobs that I hated – from functional and boring to FUNctional and pretty! I even bought a special, very soft bath mat because I hated stepping on the cold tiles! (It was THISand I LOVE IT! SO SQUISHY AND BEAUTIFUL!) But you don’t have to spend money to change your environment – use what you have! I hung up art that was cheerful and fun. I got rid of clutter and moved things I didn’t use everyday to some decorative storage bins. I fixed the broken shelf and folded the towels. Each small thing you do to improve an environment you’re not happy with is a step in the right direction. Even if your environment problem seems too big to solve, try doing just one small thing that makes it a little bit better. You wish it were sunnier in Washington? TOO BAD – haha! But you can get a light therapy lamp, take vitamin D, plan vacations to sunnier climes, make sure you get outside every day, move heavy furniture away from your windows, get stronger lightbulbs, find things you love about the rain. Appreciate and make the most of each blue sky!
