Here is a great place to put our ideas of happy things we do for ourselves and to get ideas from everyone else...

I keep a list of things I love... but my fave..

- Give yourself a pedicure- Start by removing old polish and trim your nails and cuticles, then soak your feet in hot soapy water. Then take your favorite smelling lotion and apply it more than generously to your feet. Slather that stuff on to the point you can't rub it all in. Put your favorite warm snuggly socks on over the lotion and relax and read or come here and type. After a bit, you can take the socks off, rub the rest of the lotion in if needed and paint your toenails.

Other ideas that I use...

- Read (I read SARK) www.campsark.com
- Sing
- Go swimming - I wrote this in another post, but it's what the experts say to do for any crabby child... put them in water.
- Go bowling
- Lay down and imagine you are taking an elevator down to your own secret hideaway. Put guards at the elevator door so you won't be disturbed. Mine is a garden complete with waterfalls, butterflies, dragonflies, birds and flowers and plants in every variety I can imagine. I just sit and take everything in.

And my most strange I suppose but it always works...
- Plan a vacation. Pick your destination first. Then start looking up airfares for a year from now (or next summer or whatever). Write down what everything costs right at this moment. Pick a few hotels. Will you rent a car or take your own? Will you fly or drive? What will you do while you are there? Will you take anyone with you? Visit family along the way?

My husband and I are planning a Grand Slam Tour to surprise our boys with. 12 days, 4 cities, 6 baseball games (if we can get them to all line up). We may take this trip next summer. It might have to wait until next summer. Either way it will eventually happen. And we have the fun of watching for sales, getting ideas, scouring the net for great hotels. It gives me butterflies to think about it.

What do you do???

Hi --

These are some good ideas -- please allow me to add my own two cents -- I advocate two things: doing and not doing!

You suggest going swimming at some point -- I say absolutely! Swimming or really any other exercise; there is plenty of medical evidence to demonstrate that being active elevates the endorphins -- or whatever, I am no physician! -- and makes us feel better.

My other solution is exactly the opposite: doing nothing! I practice sitting meditation, and after a sitting I always feel much better. There are a lot of mis-conceptions about what meditation is and is not, and this post is not the place to go into all that. If there is enough interest I can submit a post on the subject in the proper area, but for the time being let me suggest that there is plenty of evidence that meditation (or prayer, etc) can have beneficial effects on both emotional and physical health.

I'm not preaching here; I don't care what religion anyone is. And one does not have to belong to any particular religion or group to meditate -- anyone who can think can meditate! I think it has saved me from going crazy (or any crazier than I already am . . . ) and I suggest meditation for the ultimate pick-up.

Hope this helps -- RAH

Anyone else have some great ideas to share??

EAT!! Of course this is my biggest problem and worst habit. Whenever I am stressed or depressed I eat.

Thanks for posting some other coping skills.

Here are some of the other ways I use to cope...
- Listen to uplifting music
- Read
- Pray
- go for a walk
- gardening

In no particular order:

* Let in light and fresh air

* Play music. If I need the big guns, I play Christmas music.

* Make the house smell good: hot cider, potpurri, sliced lemons, etc.

* Clean or organize something (sad, in a way, but it works)

* Cook something

* Sleep - For me, this is like hitting the reset button on the puter

* Dare I say it? Retail therapy. When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping....

* Hot bath, hot novel, hot toddy - together!

* Play with new hairstyle or makeup. Yes, I'm a girly-girl.

* Email somebody

* Rent a mindless comedy or a 'chick flick'

* Computer games. Feeling down? Go lay waste to an orc village! Worked for the Vikings....

* Tickle my toddler until I laugh, too

Cheers,

Friday

Thanks, Friday, for your great contributions!!

Cleaning or organizing isn't sad. I do it to! In feng shui they say clutter harms you. Therefore it makes sense that organizing should pick up anyone's spirits!! Plus I'd think the exercise of doing it gives the same benefit of exercising when you are down!!

I also really, really liked the tickle my toddler. Their laughter is infectious isn't it??

Hey Fridayeyes, is that a reference to Warcraft that i just picked up ??? Go lay waste to an Orc village .. ?? Just curious if I am not the only gamer on this forumn , anyways if so I hope you have played Warcraft 3 already, this is the ultimate game ... k, let me know .. !!


Christian

I walk until I'm exhausted. Then I'm too tired to be blue.
So happy to hit the hot shower and come out feeling
"cured" every time.

N