“My Aunt Reva, my mother’s baby sister used to say, if you rock, swing or crochet you’ll never go crazy. I used to think about that and wonder how rocking, crocheting or swinging could keep you from going crazy but now I understand those things are all calming….and we all need a little calming sometimes!”
—Miss Cindy
I can’t crotchet, but I love to rock and swing. My favorite calming thing to do is to read.
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I love going for a walk with my husband . Or mowing my yard and setting on my porch.
tipper, i too pray to calm myself
and the sound of rain or the waves of the ocean really soothes me
sending peaceful feelings your way dear tipper
big ladybug hugs
lynn
I like Ron’s answer, I pray and ask God to help me. I also like to read stories about the outdoors. ( hunting, fishing). I am fortunate to live on 30 acres of land . One of my favorite things to do is just get on my old Farmall tractor and just go ride around or piddle around. I have often said 5 gallons of gasoline and my tractor does me more good when I troubled about something than seeing a psychologist.
Listening to Mozart’s violin concertos is calming and soothing for me. But to achieve this effect, I have to get comfy in my recliner and close my eyes and really listen. If I’m up and doing, I need lively music — or none at all.
Holding a baby! – or maybe I should say playing with a happy baby or holding a sleeping baby!
Swinging is at the top of the list too; and, gliding will do in a pinch.
A hot, soaking, uninterrupted bath.
Just looking around at nature’s beauty. I used to love walking/strolling or taking a bike ride – not so easy these days.
Taking a country drive.
When I was a young kid, it was calming to sit on my Grandparents porch rocking and watching the cars heading into town. It was a slower period at that time with a small amount of traffic on the roads. Always people waving to you. Today I love to go sit by a nearby creek. It is very calming to watch the water as it flows around rocks and the water is so clear you can see little fish darting around. I also love walks in the woods and I am sure snuggling with a puppy works wonders.
The most calming thing I know is dependant on Mother Nature. The sound of falling rain, it comes when it comes. But it always leaves me in a better mood. I have a metal roof but if the temperature allows I go out on the carport (I don’t have a porch per se) and sit. Even if the rain is accompanied by lightning and thunder I’ll be outside when I can.
Like Ron, I can’t read if I am agitated. I end up just looking at words. I’ve been known to “read” whole chapters without absorbing anything they say. Then I’ve got to go back and try to find something I remember reading. I’ve known people who can become so engrossed in their reading that they could miss a tornado unless it blew the book right out of their hands.
Have you heard anything from Ken lately?
Ed-Ken is still improving! Hopefully he’ll have a phone for us to call soon!
There’s nothing more calming than gently swinging on the front porch on a warm fall day. Sometimes I double dip and take a book out with me.
Well, if I am mad I like to split wood. Chopping – if the ax is good – works to. I have used whittling but mostly just as a means to control body language. Usually what I want to do is take a walk in the woods by myself and have a walking prayer. When I do that I have to start by admitting I am mad and want to get rid of it, trying to be completely honest. Then somewhere along the way I’ll see something that distracts me from my troubles and cheers me up. I can’t read to any satisfaction if I am upset.
Good points! I love to rock on a front porch. Music calms me and invigorates me.
If one can indulge in a hobby that brings them peace and joy, it certainly stimulates the mind and senses. Research has shown washing dishes by hand actually has an effect on the mind and a positive one at that. Rocking actually helps balance. I personally like to read the GREAT BOOK. I been sick y’all. Crohn’s Disease will wear a body out! Have a good day all! Many blessings to you and indeed fair health!
Miss Cindy statement “we all need a little calming sometimes!”, couldn’t be truer than it is these days. My calming thing is working in my garden early in the morning before the sun gets high or sitting in the woods hunting in the Spring or Fall. I think a lot of people in Washington DC need to do some rocking.
Pray the Rosary. The repetitive prayers while moving your fingers over the beads, and meditating on the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, Luminous Mysteries of Christ Jesus is the most peaceful, calming act.
One of my favorite “calming” things to do is loving my cat Squints.
I recently read a remark someone posted on FB that said, (who can look
at a sleeping cat and remain tense).
I suppose if you’re a dog person it applies to them too.
Tipper, I have a question I hope you can answer….I’m 73 and have gout….It is agonizingly painful when it flairs up….Like now and it prevents me from getting a good nights sleep and enjoying the day doing things like walking to bring peace and calm into my world….I go the doctors route and take Allopurinol and stay away from Uric acid causing purine foods and alcohol drinks as best I can…..I am hoping you or one of your readers know of a pain relieving salve I might use…..Thanks!
Rick, eating a few cherries is supposed to help
I only have a small amount of gout, so I don’t know if this will work for you, but it works for me when I have a flare up. I take 3/525mg. dandelion root capsules per day for 3 or 4 days. Usually start getting better within 24 hrs.
I love sardines and they are like pouring gasoline on a fire. Wish I could still eat them again.
BTW some claim milk thistle works better for gout than dandelion.
Rick,
I suffered with gout also. A doctor at the VA prescribed a fairly new drug call Febuxostat. Talk to you doctor and see if he thinks this will work for you. It’s been very effective for me.
I agree with you, Tipper, reading is the thing that calms me most but I also like rocking quite a bit, especially on a front porch like yours with the trees all around. The trees always seem to nurturer my soul.