We are well and truly into 2021. How are you? I pray for you, dear ones. I would love to know if there are needs I can bring to the God of compassion on your behalf. Just shoot me an email.
Three Gifts for Mental Health
The experience of the last eleven months has been incredibly diverse, and our methods of coping have been too. I am amazed at the brilliant ways friends and strangers have found to see themselves through the gamut of difficulty from temporary inconvenience to deep grief.
Walks. I have long found exercise a key stress-buster, and these times only reinforce that truth. But during this season, my husband, now working from home too, joins me for a half-hour at lunchtime. These strolls (some taken in cold rain, to be honest) help us decompress and reconnect in a low-pressure, free-form way. We have also come to know the neighborhood dogs. We don’t have a pet, because of allergies and travel, but we love dogs. We may or may not have bought puppy treats to carry in our pockets for our canine pals. I also changed my habit of making walks “productive” by listening to podcasts or webinars. When I’m with my husband we chat with no agenda, and when I’m alone I let my thoughts wander. Somehow, by the end of a couple miles (even in the sleet), my brain untangles a bit.
TL;DR
- Walk
- Pet the neighborhood dogs
- Let your conversation or thoughts wander
Weighted blanket. Okay, I know this is a bit of a fad. I have never slept well without something on me, the heavier, the better. I also tend to sleep hot. For me, the weighted blanket does all the things it claims to do: reduce anxiety, promote deeper sleep, make my body feel secure. But I can keep it on even when the night is warm (at least, that’s what I remember from before winter hit upstate NY).
TL;DR
Weighted blankets are awesome. Here is the one I use.*
Books. No brainer, right? But can I make a confession? For a while, a lot of my downtime disappeared down the drain of mindless social media scrolling and rabbit trails of a news app. When I broke free and started reading books again, I was happier.
TL;DR
- Spend more time reading books than posts.
- Here are some books that have brought me joy, peace, or thought-provoking ideas:
⁃ When Anxiety Strikes: Help and Hope for Managing your Storm by Dena and Jason Hobbes
⁃ The Woman in the Willow by Christine Dente
⁃ The Bright Empires series by Stephen Lawhead
⁃ Iscariot by Tosca Lee
⁃ Home Another Way by Christa Parrish
Three Joy Thieves
Too many webinars/concerts/workshops, etc. These have been a great way to stay engaged and learn, but I dove too deep at first and had to come up gasping for air. Be choosy about when you give attention to a screen.
News scrolling. There sure has been enough keep us occupied for hours at a time. My best new habit is to set a timer for ten minutes, and close the app when it goes off.
Too many people on a zoom call. Enough said.
Above all, through all, in spite of all, for all time and all people, one truth remains the same.
“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.
For on the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
He will hide me in the secret place of His tent;
He will lift me up on a rock.” (Psalm 27:4-5)
*Product recommendations are all things I have used, read, watched, or consumed and love. If you click on one of them from my email or blog and choose to purchase, I will receive a small compensation as an affiliate.
Recent Comments