Tuesday, October 16, 2012

How do you deal with stress?

My last post was written about massage.  I had not had a massage for years.  I had a massage in an effort to relax.  I don't do relaxation too well. I really don't do relaxation too well when I am stressed out. 
When I am upset or stressed out I usually clean.  Clean helps clear the clutter out of my mind. I clean, organize, get rid of. I want my bedroom to be clean.  I want my bedroom to be a place I can go to and say "ahh." 
I like to have my country kitchen table covered with a freshly ironed tablecloth.  I don't like clutter.  I don't like stuff to be on every counter top.  I don't like dirty dishes sitting around.  Doug is good to help out in the kitchen.  Usually, I take care of the rest of the house.
I like the house to smell good.  I use orange floor cleaner and orange pledge.  I like the smell of oranges.  I do not like the smell of lemon.
One way I help the house to smell good is by burning candles.  I've burned candles all my life.  I started burning candles in my bedroom when I was a teenager.  I have candles in the bathroom, the living room, the kitchen and the entryway.  I feel candles are welcoming to guests. I love candles.
I like to iron when I'm upset or stressed.  A lot of people don't iron, anymore.  I love to iron.  I don't like to wear wrinkled clothing.  Especially when I'm stressed out or upset, I love to iron.  I love the hiss of the steam.  It just seems to set things straight.  As if I'm ironing out life's wrinkles. 
I like to make art when I'm stressed.  Other than writing, making art is the only other manner in which I can get so involved I lose all track of time.
Another wonderful way to relax and get lost is by reading.  I am a voracious reader.  I am always reading a book.  I also love to read magazines and catalogs.  Too many catalog sales are lost in my opinion because a lot of catalogs are delivered via email these days.  I am twice as likely to order from a catalog when I have a paper version that I can circle, tear out and mark up.  I also rip inspiration and ideas from magazines.  When Doug and I were fairly new, he couldn't get over how I would tear up a magazine.  Now it doesn't phase him.
I don't take baths normally.  I don't like to sit in my own dirt.  And when I do take a bath, I always stand and shower afterward.  But soaking in the bathtub is a good way to relax.  I like to soak just before going to bed.  One of my favorite things to do as I soak is to sip a Kahlua and milk.  Very relaxing.
If I'm stressed out I like to walk- very fast.  Now that I have my bicycle, I like to ride my bicycle, too.  Riding my bicycle makes me feel young.  I like to walk and talk with a gal friend.  I like to walk my dog.  She is always good company.  Walking and exercising is just a good way to clear the cobwebs.  Sometimes I will walk around campus on my lunch hour.  I always feel better when I return to the office.
We don't watch a lot of TV.  We do watch movies or TV shows on DVD.  Our latest passion is Breaking Bad.  We are in season three.  No spoilers, please!  We like to have pizza and beer or sometimes a glass of wine while we sit and watch DVDs.  When I do watch, I don't do anything else. 
In the winter I love to relax by sitting before the fire.  Sometimes I even lay on the sofa in front of the fire. I'm not one that lays on the sofa very often.
Finally, I like to be home.  Home is safe.  I like quiet.  I don't want to be out in public and go, go, go.  Call me a homebody.  In my book, it is a compliment.
As you can tell, I hold on pretty tight.  I walk fast.  I work hard - at work and at home.  I can work circles around most.  There are a lot of people who would think who cares?  I consider work a virtue. 
When I went to the masseuse last week, I warned her "I doubt you have worked on anyone as tight as I am in some time."  Afterward, I said to her "I warned you." Massage is like magic.  It makes you feel better for a long time, afterward.
I know how to relax but I am still not very good at it.  Tell me, how do you relax?

4 comments:

^..^Corgidogmama said...

Honey chile....I'm shocked how similar we are!!! Sigh....we should have a slightly OCD menopausal club...you know there has to be more of us out there!
Loved this post!

Donna said...

I love candles, clean counters, order. But one way we are different is that I REQUIRE a nightly bath. In winter, I take it in the early evening. It is there that I read whatever is on the day's "reading list" be it a wonderful new magazine, a book or my Bible study or a catalog. Even the mail! I soak, I think, I read and relax. If it is warm weather, I may not get in the tub til nearly bedtime. I have a big soaker tub and lots of bubbles. If anyone wants to know one thing I love, one sure-fire gift, it is BUBBLES. BUBBLE BATH. They are in the minority over body wash. Bubble baths have gone "bottom shelf" these days. My bath roots go back to living on the farm with a very weak well system and thin stream of water flow. Also one bathroom. Everyone couldn't take a morning shower. So I always had a nightly bath. If someone gave me a mansion to live in with every wonderful thing imaginable, but the condition was I had to take nothing but showers, no baths, i would kindly declien.

Chatty Crone said...

I exercise and then I take a nap! I wish I could do massage - $$$. sandie

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

I like to day dream. And I love to watch old films. Like you I hate sitting in a tub for any lenght of time. I get too uncomfortable.

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