Category Archives: Mental Health

Maintaining/gaining good mental health

Be Still…

Mental Health, Spiritual Health

The holidays are upon us creating a flurry of activity for most people…parties, shopping, wrapping, writing, decorating, baking.  As I pondered a topic for a new blog post, I wondered how I could help you find enjoyment in the season?

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On Thursday mornings, I often join a small group of people at my church for a half-hour of contemplative prayer.  Much of our time together is spent in silence.  Today, our mantra, if you will, was “Be Still”.  (Actually, Be Still and Know that God is Here – changed slightly from Be Still and Know That I Am God from the Psalms.)

It was the inspiration I needed for this post.  In my mind, being still is one of the best ways to find enjoyment in this busy season.  It calms me and helps me discern which of my activity options are most important and will be the most rewarding, allowing me to say no to the activities I find less important, time consuming and stress-inducing.

Here is how I accomplish being still.  I sit in a quiet room in a comfortable position.  I close my eyes, or I light a candle and focus on the flame.  I begin by breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly to calm me.  Though difficult, I try to rid my mind of what happened yesterday, what’s going to happen tomorrow, or even what’s going to happen in the next hour.  This brings me into the “present moment” – I’m sure you’ve all heard that phrase.  I use a word or two that I repeat over and over in my mind, like “silence”, “be still”, “calm”, or “listen” to bring me back to the present when my mind wanders – and believe me, it does have a way of wandering!

When I spend a few minutes in this silent state, I am amazed at what my Spirit says to me.

I encourage you to try it – just be still and listen!

 So, back to getting through the holiday season and all the accompanying  preparations and events, with as little stress and with the most enjoyment possible…I am going to share my favorite “12 Days of Christmas” activities (in no particular order other than the first and foremost – being still and listening to my heart).  I hope that you will be inspired to take time and figure out what is most important to you, letting some of the not-so-important things drop off your list.  Here goes –

  1. Being Still and Listening and then trusting your heart.
  2. Going to a tree farm with son, Peter, daughter-in-law, Karen, and grandsons, Jack and Max, to cut our Christmas tree.  This also involves drinking hot chocolate or apple cider and munching on Christmas cookies.  (Side note for those wondering – parents of Jack and Max – Amy & Dan – like to get their tree earlier than we do so have already cut and decorated their tree by the time we get around to it; thus, they do not accompany us on our outing, they just let us borrow their kids.  Actually, I think they use the time to shop for the kids’ gifts.)
  3. Taking time to sit and enjoy the lights and ornaments on the Christmas tree once it is decorated.  This may involve sipping a glass of wine and listening to Christmas music while relaxing.
  4. Making sugar cut-out cookies with the grandsons – frosting them is the best part.  See the photo to see some of our creations – messy, and probably not worthy of a sophisticated cookie tray display, but, oh so much fun.  (And really, I don’t even like baking!)IMG_0204
  5. Enjoying Tom & Jerry beverages with good friends at a restaurant all decked out with beautiful decorations for the season – an outing that has become an annual tradition.
  6. Getting enough sleep and keeping my exercise routine.
  7. Spending the first Friday in December shopping at the Mall of America (with a side trip to Ikea) with my two girls – Amy and Karen.  This is often referred to as “the best day of the year”.  We start with coffee, then shop, then lunch, then a glass of wine somewhere, and end with dinner…just the girls!
  8. Watching the movie, White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney…one of my favorite movies.
  9. Making fudge.
  10. Writing Christmas cards – some years yes, some years no if I’m feeling stressed about getting them done.
  11. Keeping a gratitude journal – either written or just in my mind.  Each day listing 3-5 things for which I am grateful.
  12. Giving to others who are not so fortunate.  Each year, my office mates and I sponsor a family in need and provide gifts for them.  My church provides opportunities for giving to others like contributing to the Food Shelf or providing gifts for Homeless Teens, my choice this year.

However your choose to spend your time this month, I hope you find joy in meaningful times with family and friends, and peace of mind.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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Take a deep breath…

Mental Health, Physical Health

One of the most beneficial practices I have taken away from yoga instruction and use daily is the yoga deep breathing technique…I think it may be called diaphragmatic breathing(who knows if that is spelled correctly).  Inhale slowly to a count of whatever is comfortable, ballooning out the diaphragm, pulling the air into the lungs, holding the breath for just a couple of seconds, then exhaling twice as long as the inhale.  A slow count to four on my inhale and a count of eight on my exhale works for me.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I find this breathing technique useful in several different ways; and, I don’t even have to be reclined on a yoga mat – while walking, sitting or standing anywhere works just fine…

  • enjoying the delightful fragrances I encounter on a morning walk outside – the smell of newly mown grass, flowering crabapple trees or lilac bushes, or the moist smell of the earth after a rain;
  • relieving stress when I find myself overwhelmed by a difficult project at work with a deadline, or the many tasks I perceive I should complete in a day that doesn’t have enough hours (I know, this last one is a self-imposed stress – a whole other topic to discuss at some point);
  • gaining the strength to finish the last few minutes of my workout on the elliptical machine when I think I just can’t do it…breathing in strength, exhaling tiredness;
  • finding the courage to do anything daunting – like making known to the public that this blog exists!
  • easing pain – I love the technique a yoga instructor once taught me, to concentrate on the pain and to think about expelling it from my body with each exhale.  Try it – it works to relieve any tension in the painful area, if nothing else.
  • bringing myself to the present moment to alleviate sleep issues (trying to solve the world’s problems in the middle of the night when I would like to be sleeping – another blog topic for the future).  Yogis preach being in the present moment – deep breathing centers me so I can experience that phenomenon.  (Yes, it is a phenomenon to me to be able to eliminate concern about how I handled something in my past, or worry about something that hasn’t happened yet – and may not!)  I’ll admit the deep breathing doesn’t always work in this case, but I keep practicing, hoping to master it someday.  Practice makes perfect, right??

There are probably other situations where deep breathing could be used, but these are the ones I practice regularly to help me “ignore the wind”!  Happy breathing.