How Do You Chill?

When I need to take it easy...

 

I have a pretty hectic schedule.  I teach most of the day during the week and use my evenings and weekends for painting, jewelry making, cooking, exercise, blogging, chores, and time with family and friends.  I try to do it all, but who can do that? 

After a hectic day today, I started thinking about healthy ways to relax.  Like many, I tend to gravitate to things like chocolate, TV and/or a glass of wine.  I won’t get into why these are poor choices but I’m sure you can guess. 

Lately I find that lying down for 20 minutes (I use a timer) boosts my energy like nothing else.  I usually don’t sleep, but rest my body and mind.  Meditation is good too (when I have the energy to sit up).  Burning a stick of Nag Champa incense settles me down.  The smell reminds me of meditation and spiritual bookstores.  Speaking of bookstores, wandering through the aisles of an independent bookstore or library is sometimes the only thing that will do.  There is something about the smell of books and the atmosphere of sitting quietly and reading that takes the stress away.  Reading is great too, as long as the book isn’t too exciting.  I’m pushing the excitement envelope here by reading “Dune”, but I can’t help myself, it’s awesome. 

A friend recently turned me on to “Peter Gillham’s Natural Calm”.  Basically it is magnesium.  I’m probably deficient in the mineral, like most of the population, so I have no problem with taking it.  Before bed I take about 1/4^th of the recommended 2 teaspoons.  It helps to relax my muscles and get me to sleep. 

When the weather isn’t too rough, a 30-minute walk on the beach can be like a month’s worth of therapy sessions.  Funny, even though it is only a 15-minute drive from my home, I seldom go.  Today in the staff room a teacher told me that exercise gives her more energy, even if she was tired before exercising.  I wonder if this would be true for me? 

  

One might think I unwind by painting or working in my studio.  Though creating things is fun and somewhat relaxing, I just can't focus when tired.  In my dreams I relax by taking a long, hot bath.  But without a servant to clean the tub before I get in there, it rarely happens. 

These are some of the things that work for me.  So, how do you chill?