Mind Wandering

Below is a comment from Silagh White, a follower of this blog who offers her own suggestions to stress relief.

"I used to be a runner. Since my knees have deteriorated, I swim when I can (dang, limited Lehigh pool schedule) and do a lot of baking. Many of my experiments don't work. But it's the handy work that helps me relax. Just taught my daughter how to make basic bread by hand yesterday. That turned out a lot better than muffins earlier in the week.

"I think it's the repetitive motion that focuses thoughts. I have also found great opportunity for mind wandering while gardening, knitting, sewing or crafting. Some of my friends enjoy making art as stress relief. Classes at Banana Factory are great for that. And also drumming circles are very effective."


I strongly agree, and have previously mentioned, the idea that repetitive motion or thinking can serve as a successful means to distraction, thought organization or a general pick-me-up if the repetition involves something you can actively enjoy. One article mentions four my previous suggestions: journaling, meditation, exercise and music. Logic games like sudoku also offer the opportunity to focus your thoughts on something that's not stressing you out.

Baking is a good idea because, in addition to preoccupying yourself, you can end up with a tasty reward. Baking or cooking also lets you create and go through trial and error, which can be an emotional release for some people. I actually tasted one of Silagh's baked concoctions, and it was a delicious muffin! This stress relieving tactic can improve another person's day, as well!

Heed some of Silagh's suggestions and find the "mind wandering" experience that best suits you!

Journaling

Yesterday's post about avoiding distractions and clearing your mind enough to get a good night of sleep is motivation for this post. I inspired myself to finish up the rest of my day efficiently and to think about tomorrow when tomorrow arrived. It was great to fall asleep right away and not wonder if I should get up early in case I forgot to get something done. It was a much-needed mental and physical rest that I probably wouldn't have achieved without writing my previous post. For this reason, I encourage you to journal.

Writing down your thoughts may open you to a new kind of organization that completely internalizing might prevent. Being able to view your emotions on paper could give you a new perspective on what's stressing you out or how to deal with it. Or, like my post, use journaling to encourage yourself. I didn't realize I was doing it, but writing my post  yesterday provided the motivation I apparently needed to de-stress enough to sleep well.

I consider this to be a pretty personal experience, so try a few different methods of writing down your thoughts or feelings until you find one that suits you  and your schedule.

Need. Sleep.

Tonight I'm going to write about the need for sleep because that is exactly what my mind and body is feeling right now. I have been a little stressed about the amount of stuff I have to get done, but I haven't been committing to any all-nighters or being overly active or anything. So I don't exactly know why I'm exhausted, but I am. Unfortunately, I have to admit that it might have to do with some petty distractions that I have just succumbed to every time lately. My work will be complete for the day, then I'll stay up until odd hours doing useless things or talking to whomever I run into in my house. From past experience, I know this will catch up with me when I do have a long day of work and I don't have the energy to do it to full potential. Then, that will stress me out.

There is probably a number of solutions depending on the distraction, but heed some advice if you ever feel like you have found yourself in this habit of delaying going to bed. Women, take Harvard's advice as motivation to just end your day. In addition to the obvious feeling of lethargy, lack of sleep can slow your metabolism and weaken your immune system. And, like I've said before, letting yourself fall into poor physical condition probably isn't going to improve your mental or emotional state. This would just be another thing to worry about. College students, I know we've all pulled all-nighters and it feels inevitable at times, but you don't feel too pleasant the next day, right? Avoid it when possible. Try following some of these tips, and remember, "College students who pull “all-nighters” are more likely to have a lower GPA."

In general, here's what I should try harder to stop doing: constantly snacking at night, watching too much TV, joining whatever conversation comes my way for far too long and just thinking too much to actually let my brain rest. Most of my distractions are things I should just avoid, and others can be attributed to lack of organization and an increasing lack of energy for obvious reason.

So just remember how important sleep is, even when you have a million thing on you mind or encounter a Real Housewives marathon. STress is definitely more likely when you're not well-rested!