The Southern Charms Fan Box

DDDVIOAUS had an idea for a future photo contest, here
viewtopic.php?f=65&t=41650

And this gave me another idea, a more general one.
How about posting solutions, intentions, inventions, innovations, even practical ideas, that helped you achieve more happiness in your life.
In one/two words: a life-style topic.

Who's with me?

Great idea..... I think you should kick off...this topic...

DDDVIOAUS wrote:Great idea..... I think you should kick off...this topic...

Well, where should I begin. Let me write some random lines.

STRESS, no matter how much we'd wish to escape this nagger, it reaches back, a way or another. So let's say that stress is our worst enemy -well, one of the worst enemies. How to combat stress? Even the use of the verb 'combat' is stressful. So if we try to fight back at fight, all we get is more fight.
Let's say, how to escape stress. Escapism sounds better, especially when done right.
Yoga, meditation, prayer, gymnastics, exercise, they all require space. Space is quite important. YOUR space. My preferred space, by far, is my garden.
I'm so privileged and trying to be grateful for that.

Indoor stress killers: salt lamps, Himalaya salt lamps. The heated crystals balance the ions in the room, eradicating harmful positive ions emitted by electronic devices. The salt lamp is nice to have, gives personality to your room, and produces negative ions which are good for your body.

Talking about crystals, one of my daughters gave me a handcrafted Bonsai 'tree' with quartz crystals instead of leaves, and copper wires instead of branches. Not heating at all, but great to look at from time to time. Most crystals would widen the narrow spectrum of wifi which is also comforting for you (the widening of the band), and anyone else in the house.

Well, writing long and rambling astray on the forums here, yet another way to kill stress and look for happy moments.

Ball in play. Who's next?

My best stress killer is ...
stopping everything, closing my eyes and breathe.

Concentrating on the power of my breath takes my pressure to a manageable level. When it is intense, I draw circles around my body starting at my front hair line and around and down slowly as if I were colouring a picture with each ring. Stacking them to complete a united barrier from outside influence. Once achieved to armpit level I am usually destressed enough to start again in a faster pace to see if I left anything behind.

This can range in time from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Anything longer is deeper meditation.

Try it, I swear it helps.

Sexy Ricki
sexyrickiSC1

Italian Lace SC4 wrote:I love this idea Doris Dawn!

Here's a practical tip I've started making a habit of this past year... I call it "doing nice things for future me" and it involves meal prep. Some days I just don't have the energy or desire to cook, so rather than spending money ordering out, or eating a lazy incomplete meal all the time, I've adopted the practice of making extra when I DO feel like making something with the intention of freezing the extra portions for later use. For example, when I'm going to the trouble of making one lasagna, instead I'll make 4. One for that night and three to go in the freezer. At the beginning of the pandemic I made "soup kits" to go in the freezer so that in the event anyone (or all of us) in the house became sick, a pot of homemade soup was as easy as dumping everything in a crock pot and letting it work it's magic. I also have pans of stuffed shells, chicken enchiladas, chili, pulled chicken and stuffed peppers in the freezer at any given time. It makes dinners so much easier on days when "I can't even" and present me is always so grateful that past me was looking out!

Kitchen chores are no fun, and nothing elevates stress levels in a mother like a stubborn son. But then comes melatonin, I take 1mg before going to bed, and not only my nights are more comforting, but my heart won't ache anymore, by day. I react the same, if confronted, but my heart beats a much happier beat.

For about a week, Spring has landed over my garden.
Couldn't wait to hop around, to chip dry branches, to plant new bulbs.
Just a few hours around noon, when the sun shines best. It's still February, for another day
I don't know how many times I've said this, but gardening is a limitless source of Happiness!!!