As you may have seen in yesterday’s Good News, oldhippiedude is temporarily out of commission. The Gnu Herd sends him good vibes that he recover swiftly and surely.
I’d been working on a diary that isn’t time-sensitive, and I guess now is when something like that is needed.
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It is clear that protecting our Constitution and saving our country is not a sprint, it is a marathon. We have to take care of ourselves if we are to be able to continue to fight.
"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." -- Audre Lorde
As they say on airplanes, when they talk about what to do in case of emergency, put the mask over your own face before assisting others.
If we burn out, we can’t do anything. Taking care of ourselves *is* an act of political warfare.
There are so many things we can do to increase our well-being, if we remember to take a moment to do them, and to deliberately savor them.
We can have lunch with a friend.
Maybe take a nap.
Pet a dog. Pet a napping dog.
Read your favorite author.
Appreciate water and reflections.
Enjoy the flowers at the grocery.
We can meditate. The Greater Good Science Center can help us begin, or add to, a meditation practice.
We can savor a cup of something delicious (perhaps Iron Goddess tea).
We can try to get up and move more often, rather than sitting for hours and hours in a row.
We can try to pay more attention to how our bodies feel, and to practice better posture. We can try to release unnecessary tension whenever we notice it.
We can eat foods that we are glad to have eaten, an hour or two after eating them.
We can enjoy other people’s yards.
We can read picture books. Sometimes books aimed at little kids have the most uplifting messages, along with gorgeous illustrations.
We can listen to the birds.
We can visit a public garden when the peonies are blooming.
We can pick up an autumn leaf and tape it to the fridge.
We can wear Blue Wave socks.
We can spend money in ways that are likely to actually lift our spirits.
"I won’t be shamed for taking the time I need to just do nothing." – Lillian Ahenka
We can plan to get at least 8 hours of sleep. (Go to bed early enough. Sleep in a cool, quiet, dark place.) I have audiobooks on my phone. I listen, and I consciously relax away physical tension. Calm, peaceful books (which become very familiar) distract me from my otherwise-spinning thoughts. I am almost always able to go to sleep within 10 minutes. I set my phone to play back at .75 speed, to make the narration even calmer. I like Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Neil has a very calm and peaceful voice, and there is nothing wrong in astrophysics that is our fault!
We can get deliberate exposure to the sun (especially in winter). Sit by a sunny window, and read or mend a sock.
We can take a walk, especially outside. Appreciate the trees and other plants, even if they are dormant at the moment. Look at the clouds (or the fog). Breathe outdoor air.
“To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "Amen" to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson
We can practice tai chi.
We can take ourselves somewhere where there are interesting things to observe. A museum. A botanical garden. An art-supply store. *Looking* at things that interest us may take us away from fretting, at least for a while.
If we just can’t relax, we can multi-task – take a walk in the sun with the dog, while alternately enjoying the shadows and reading our favorite author. :-)
The good news is that there are a LOT of things we can do that boost our well-being. Many of them are quick and easy and cheap.
I know you guys have a lot more ideas of this kind. Thank you in advance for contributing!
“Light is always light, no matter the vessel. Do not put pressure on yourself to shine in any specific form. Light can be big, small, loud, or a whisper. But it is always light. Allow your light to take it’s shape and shine in its own way.” - Cleo Wade
Please also contribute good news. :-)
ps — I am not an early riser and probably will not show up here until after 8:00 or even 9:00 EDT. Please proceed without me.