what do you find calming?

[just_monicat]

something i've always found interesting are the (oft unique) things that others find soothing.

i once knew a girl who would pour a giant bowl of lucky charms whenever she got rattled. a guy friend of mine will watch a certain sketch comedy show.

i've got my own semi-quirky rituals, and i'm sure many of you do too.

aside from God, your friends and family, what things or activities do you find calming?


p.s. thanks to bananapie for inspiring this thread

 

[1still_waters]

Listening to podcasts..aimlessly clicking through the Internet as if I'm on a Safari.........gazing over a beach into the horizon......people watching...........peeling old paint off of a picnic table with my fingers.........

 

[HarpyEagle]

Listening to select trance songs especially and other music, walking in the park/picnic in the park, hiking, reading, watching movies, praying, having a great conversation, joking around cranking up the endorphins, grilling and cooking other stuff, drawing/sketching, evening at the beach/lake with warm sand under feet and colors in the sky, kayaking along a slow river, tubing down a lazy river with cool breezes, lead slinging activities.. especially when connecting with the target, cruising down the road with the music up and the windows down in the country area or just the interstate on cruise control... but wait, there's more... i'm sure.

 

[Angela53510]

I like to meditate on the Bible. The 23rd Psalm, the Lord's prayer, Prov. 3:5-6, Romans 5:3-5, Matt 11:28-30, etc.

I also ride a bike and listen to Christian music, and I play classical flute and garden. I just love to seek God in the countryside where I live, and in his Word, which you can carry everywhere in your heart.

When I get my blood pressure done during my chemo infusions (I do NOT have cancer, "just" RA) I often meditate to try and lower my blood pressure. Thinking about the grandeur and majesty of God fills me with great peace and calms me so that my blood pressure is lowered. (It is high because of the chemo drugs!)

Great topic for a post!

 

[IloveyouGod]

I LOVE listening to the birds.....but if they aren't around, then music.

 

[GregoryC]

A long walk in the woods with my pugs. Oh yes and Jesus.

 

[Richie_2uk]

Stroking my cat while watching TV Or fussing my cat altogether is my calmer but that's at home, but outside? I go for a nice coastal walk to get that fresh air in my lungs.

 

[just_monicat]

+washing my hands and face

+playing with my nieces and nephews -- i really love to make up imaginary games with them

+baking, especially anything that i have to knead

+ taking a super hot, long shower

+impromptu road trips, driving barefoot, my window cracked open and the wind blowing my hair around with loud music.

+shopping for frivolity, like lip gloss and 'the body shop' type places

+jump rope or hanging upside down on my inversion bar

+doing hundreds

+mowing the lawn (and that lovely smell of cut grass)

+doing the dishes

+throwing the ball or goofing off with my dog

+braiding my hair

+singing, but especially dancing

+the smell of chai

+cleaning and organizing my purse, listening to my phone messages, and other mindless administrative/organization tasks

 

[rachelsedge]

- Nature
- Driving with the windows down and music blasting
- Getting on the internet (CC, Youtube)
- Water. I loved when my family/church would go to deep creeks/rivers and swim. Sometimes I would go all the way under, hold onto the rocks at the bottom so I wouldn't float back up, and just hear the muffled water around me and feel it flowing past. That cool, weightless, quiet feeling....was weirdly calming.
- Showers
- Rain (and the sound of rain)

 

[faroukfarouk]

-Nature
-Driving with the windows down and music blasting
-Getting on the internet (CC, Youtube)
-Water. I loved when my family/church would go to deep creeks/rivers and swim. Sometimes I would go all the way under, hold onto the rocks at the bottom so I wouldn't float back up, and just hear the muffled water around me and feel it flowing past. That cool, weightless, quiet feeling....was weirdly calming.

What are you favorite tracks to blast in your car?

Blessings.

 

[Manny21]

I like to take walks at night by myself for like three or four hours at a time(that's a there and back trip mind you so only 3-4 hours not 6-8 haha). I like to play my drums and guitar and sing. I love to ride my bike through wooded trails, and also hike through wooded trails. I like to act weird and watch how people react and say weird things to get the same effect it makes me happy and relaxes me. I like to have nutmeg tea and drink milk with baked goods( usually chocolate chip cookies they are my favorite). I like to walk down the beach and randomly jump in the water. I like to collect rocks.

 

[lil_christian]

something i've always found interesting are the (oft unique) things that others find soothing.

i once knew a girl who would pour a giant bowl of lucky charms whenever she got rattled. a guy friend of mine will watch a certain sketch comedy show.

i've got my own semi-quirky rituals, and i'm sure many of you do too.

aside from God, your friends and family, what things or activities do you find calming?


p.s. thanks to bananapie for inspiring this thread

I like to drink peppermint tea with or without honey...though I haven't had much of an appetite for honey the past day or two. (Thanks, Shour ).

Listening to music is always great. I like to play my guitar.

Doing internet stuff like CC is always nice, too. It keeps me occupied, though I'm almost always bored.

Doing something with my hands. Building something, tearing apart, or just simply messing around with. Because of this, I like puzzles (doesn't have to be a jigsaw puzzle). I like ones that aren't just your typical puzzle. Three dimensional ones are just fascinating, both jigsaw and other types, and I think glow in the dark jigsaw puzzles are cool.

 

[Grace-Like-Rain]

Reading has always been the best way for me to calm myself when I'm in a panic. Something light and frivolous that I can get immersed in and forget myself for an hour or two.

 

[Jullianna]

Reading

Running/playing with my dog

Dancing

Playing piano

 

[IloveyouGod]

What type of books that calms you down Grace?

Reading has always been the best way for me to calm myself when I'm in a panic. Something light and frivolous that I can get immersed in and forget myself for an hour or two.

 

[kayem77]

Sushi or chinese food. Reading a good book. A hug.

 

[BananaPie]

...peeling old paint off of a picnic table with my fingers...

LOL. Totally can relate to that! ...old paint off a car, off a wall, off USPS mailboxes, off school bus seats...

 

[BananaPie]

Singing hymns to God and the smell of lavender calms me down.

 

[Grace-Like-Rain]

What type of books that calms you down Grace?

Usually a fantasy fiction... Nothing too deep that I need to think a lot about, since my mind is already restless. The Hunger Games, or Night Angel by Brent Weeks... I'm reading one now that I found in a library sale called The Last Stormlord. It just needs to be interesting enough to cause captivate me for a while.

 

[Tintin]

HUGS!
Reading
Walking in nature/enjoying nature
Listening to music
Drawing (need to do this more often)
Rain and the sound of rain, especially on a tin-roof
Praying
God's Word
YouTube
Quiet time doing nothing
Talking things through with family and good friends or just being with them
Smells - Freshly-ground coffee, freshly-baked bread etc.