24 Ways to Ease Up

With apologies to Paul Simon, there must be… 24 ways to ease your living.

Why 24? Why not? It’s a start! That people have to go online and type the words “How to relax” into a search engine should be indication enough that modern life may be getting too stressful. Why, with all the innovations and timesavers, do we feel more and more rushed?

Time is a constant – it always remains the same. What changes are our expectations of how much we can accomplish in that same old time. It’s scientifically proven that stress can lead to sickness and that relaxation is one of the things that can soothe the savage beast.

Hopefully everyone has at least one favourite way to wind down, because not every stress soother will suit every single person. Next time you feel tense and uptight, try out one of these ways to relax. Perhaps some will work for you, while others might inspire you to write your own list of ease-up ideas.

1. Dance.
2. Mono-task, as opposed to multitasking.
3. Progressively tense each muscle, holding each for 5 seconds then releasing.
4. Stretch.
5. Go for a walk.
6. Play a game. Sudoku, crosswords, hopscotch, whatever.
7. Soak in a bath.
8. Laugh.
9. Turn off your electronics. Enjoy the quiet.
10. Read.
11. Take a 5-minute break to clear your mind and breathe.
12. Cover your eyes with an eye pillow. Allow your anxious eyeballs to feel like they’re floating rather than gripping.
13. Play with your pet.
14. Drink a cup of hot tea. Or iced if that makes you feel better!
15. Take a whiff of a favourite soothing scent, maybe citrus or lavender.
16. Clean out the drawers of your dresser. De-cluttered can equal destressed.
17. Soak your feet in Epsom salts.
18. Listen to your favourite music.
19. Light a candle and watch the flame flicker.
20. Write in a diary.
21. Talk to a friend.
22. Make everyday activities more meditative. Like walking, for instance. Rather than rush down the hallway, place one foot in front of the other and really feel your feet ground into the earth with each step.
23. Unplug (or turn off) your phone.
24. Strive to take deep breaths to reach the tight spaces of your body – try to feel your breathing in your lower back and your shoulders

Source: PC Health by Shoppers Drug Mart

Positivity at the Cottage

My parents have a cottage up NE of Peterborough Ontario. Their shore line is comprised of layered stones both above & below the dock.

This summer I got a brilliant idea for the week I had the cottage to myself. I decided to paint these rocks. My Cubs had gotten me started on painting rocks this summer. I found it so relaxing – therapeutic even… But these ones are a little different, I didn’t paint the full rock, I just added a word to each stone. With a good selection of colours, it’s quite pretty..

The left side of the dock. Yes, there are spelling errors that have since been corrected.

I apparently can’t spell or my Fibro Fog kicked in while I was there. I am aware of several spelling errors on these rocks. I went back up recently & corrected all mistakes I am aware of. Was unable to really add much as the dock has been pulled in for the summer..

The stones do have a sealer on them, so hopefully the will last to next year. If not I can redo them. But if I get additional words of positivity & inspiration I can start filling in the other side, as this in only half the wall. The other half is to the right, right of the stairs.

Do you have suggestions for additional words I can use? I know Justice isn’t there yet.. anything else??

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I also did completely cover some of the rocks around the firepit before I added words…

Pretty rocks in the firepit