Stress Relief

Have you been following Moorea Seal's series called Paint Your Love? It is so important to remember who you are and why you are on the path you have chosen! This world is full of so many distractions that we can easily lose sight of our own "Journey to the East" as James and I call it. (helpful hint: The distractions are a test of faith.)

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I want to share with you a list of activities I find comforting, that help me feel like myself again after a long day or stressful week, or even if I get a few minutes when the kids are asleep. The ones that I am able to do most often are at the top of the list ranging down to the ones on the bottom of the list that are rarely feasible. These may seem like really silly, simple, not-deep-at-all things, but they mean a lot to me.


Comfort Activities, or Things To Do When It's All Too Much

1. Settle down with a book, google reader or bloglovin. I only read books and follow blogs that I really love and that truly inspire me. It is nice to get away from my own world and be a part of what someone else shares or creates. It is an easy activity because it just takes a little bit of down time-- and the kids give me that during naps. :)

2. Take a bath/shave my legs. I know a lot of girls like to shave their legs in the shower, do it quickly and get it over with. Not me. I like to slip into a hot bath and take my time. Being a woman is such a gift and I want to enjoy the simple pleasures associated with it! I might feel differently if I had to deal with a period every month like most girls.*


3. Go to the gym. I love my gym!!! I don't go every night, but I try to get in there 4 or 5 times a week. There's nothing like a good workout and a terribly hot sauna to wash away a day of teething and terrible twos!!


4. Paint my nails. Explanation unnecessary.


5. Go thrifting. But only if it is sans kids. It is a chance to get out of the house and be in my own mind. I like to search for vintage items that speak to my personal aesthetic.


6. Sip a glass of wine and talk it all out. Red wine, please. Merlot or Shiraz. James and I in our new home filling each other in on our days. The kids asleep and the chores done. Ah, domestic bliss.


7. Lie in the sun and do nothing. I think everybody did this as a kid, so it will always have a magical pull. You are warmed by the sun all over your face and you reflect. So simple.


8. Watch a movie with James. We like to make it an event with jiffy-pop and a symphony bar to share. Sometimes we even get a coke and pour it over ice. There's usually a lot to do in the evenings, so we actually rarely watch movies.


9. Watch a simple natural phenomenon, like smoke or water in a stream or embers burning. I love to get lost in these things. When I first wrote it on my list, it just said, "watch something burn" which got James a little worried, I think. But seriously, have you ever laid down on a bridge over a creek or on the bank and watched the water dance over the rocks? It is incredibly beautiful. And it is free.


10. Go for a walk in the woods without a trail. It makes me sad that this has to be on the bottom of the list because I love to do this more than just about anything in the world. But I live in a small city. I feel like a trail takes a lot away from the experience because you aren't really in it, you know? When you go off-trail, you become much more aware of your surroundings. In a wonderful way.

(Bonus Entry: Rock out on-stage behind my viola bass guitar with a crowd of people dancing!!!)

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*I apologize if there are any dudes reading this who are made uncomfortable by my mention of distinctly feminine issues.