So anyone who knows me knows I don’t handle stress well. If at all. Ok I don’t handle it, period. The idea of this post came to me after a morning that I affectionately referred to as ‘2020 condensed’ and a ‘dumpster fire’ as well as a ‘fustercluck’. Over the past couple of months I have gathered a toolbelt of coping skills that I want to share with you because if I can reduce the number of stressed people in the world then I will have made the world a better place.
Calligraphy
Buy some pens and a guidebook and get started! Trust me. It is very cathartic.
Learn a New Skill
For my new Work in Progress I am learning the art of reading Tarot cards. Sometimes the ambient noise of our lives gets to be too much and you just need to focus on one thing. Pick a new language, a card trick, a special knot. Whatever catches your fancy. Just pick something and, when the world begins to get too loud, spend five minutes perfecting that new skill. Not only will it redirect that anxious energy, but it will help you grow as a person!
TikTok
Now many of you will scoff at this, stating that TikTok is ‘for teens’. And they would be correct. But they would be right in the same way that Disney movies are technically for kids. While that is their target demographic, there is definite spillover into the older age bracket. TikTok allows your brain to go into power-save mode and enjoy some mindless entertainment. The most I’ve ever laughed was a direct result of a TikTok video. Give it a try. You might surprise yourself!
Pet Therapy
Don’t have a fur-baby of your own? Now is the time to rectify that gross oversight. Pets bring that extra level of love to your life and, when you’re doting on them, the bad in your life just doesn’t seem as bad. Even if it’s only for a little while, that brief alleviation of stress is a godsend.
Walk Away/Give Up (Temporarily)
Sometimes you have to take a step back from something to really find your inner zen and focus your productivity. If you try to brute force your way through every situation you’re going to be left with a mess of stress and a mess as far as results are concerned. Take a beat, get a coffee, pet your cat, and start again.
And sometimes, seasonal inspiration will take over. See above for my method of coping during the aforementioned dumpster fire of a morning.
Bye for now!