Some people pray. Some meditate. Others do yoga or cook or hike or swim. It seems like everybody has something that centers them, that brings them back to what’s important, that helps them get through the day.
What’s your thing? How do you do it? How often? How much time do you spend on it? What does it do for you?
Hmm, I guess it would be yoga if I could get a quiet minute… but since I can’t, I’m going to have to say travel.
When my soul is weakening, I take to the skies.
Or the beach.
Or the mountains.
Or the city.
Anywhere other than where I go everyday.
Reminds me of how cool the world can be, how many good things are out there, and, ultimately, how lucky I am to go back to what I have.
I clean like nobody’s business, the finished product makes me feel calm and happy.
These three things center me the most- 1. Making pottery- as much as I can. 2. Doing the Indy crossword puzzle weekly. 3. Gardening- planting, weeding, trimming, all of it.
Yoga – the really slow, gentle, restorative stretchy kind. Not the sweaty, power yoga kind. I have all sort of books liked “Yoga as Medicine” and “Yoga for Depression”. I’m sort of annoying about it.
Read self-help psychology books that I find inspiring.
Journal. Write exceptionally bad poetry.
My strategies have changed as I’ve changed. I used to bake cookies – mostly chocolate chip, but pb, and sugar. HUGE batches, which I would share with friends, colleagues, and of course, my kids.
Now I make jewelry – beading is quite meditative – and for awhile, I used to make handmade books and chapbooks. It’s still the same idea: create something, something I can do that’s repetitive.
Basically, looking back, I can see that what I do is find an activity that allows my body to be nominally busy, so that my mind can wander, work through things, without feeling trapped. Walking has the same effect, but often I need to do something when it’s dark out, or raining, or whatever. Mind-wandering is THE BEST medicine for me.
i do youga. slow stretchy yoga like cort. and i meditate. or try to. usually i fall asleep.
i walk when i can. and in the summer, spring, fall i garden. nothing like hands plunged deep in dirt.
i used to write.
not any more.
get together with people, people, people – preferably friends, as much as possible. guitar is an amazing healer/grounder for me as well :)
Hmmm….my thing to get centered?
Walking/jogging in the woods with Jackie.
Cleaning the house on Sundays with music on or NPR: dishes, floors, laundry and cooking a soup at the same time.
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but a long hot shower…or a bath and a book.
Getting rid of junk around the house – decluttering, it feels great. I probably take a bag of books/clothes/junk to the Salvation Army every three months, so like once a season.