Simply..swallows and orchids....

5/7/2019

Plans changed (I was on Plan C today).
I've got a bill from Vodaphone although I have not been with them for years.
The water was turned off for six hours while I had someone staying.
The president of the most powerful country in the world said there was an airport there in 1775
- the world is madder than ever!

I remind myself that there are swallows and orchids in my life.

It helps me stay sane.

:-)

What keeps you sane?

(I am assuming that you are...)

16 Comments

Sheena

6/7/2019 12:46:36 am

It is when there is a cluster of things conspiring to upset our equilibrium ( wasp nests, tablet defunct, car scraped and Tory leadership races for me) that it is very difficult to stay positive and sane. A walk somewhere peaceful and beautiful or laughing with a friend usually sorts me out but it is hard work sometimes, isn't it? Hope your water supply stays on as that is a real pest.

Freda

6/7/2019 01:06:45 pm

It is difficult sometimes to just keep going and a friend I might have laughed about it with has moved away....

Mary

6/7/2019 03:13:19 am

Not watching TV.

Last night I discovered just how much this helps. I visited a son's home and the evening news was on the television in the family room. The constant ads (every few minutes), the steady, quick flashing from one news item to another with other items running along the bottom of the screen was so irritating I had to leave the room. And that was without even hearing about the idiot in the WH--the sheer bombardment of the senses alone was bad enough.

Freda

6/7/2019 01:12:26 pm

I've not had a TV for 20 odd years but am being sucked in by iPlayer on the laptop and have a morbid fascination with the news which has never been so BIZARRE! I am not surprised there is an epidemic of anxiety disorders.

Rosemary

6/7/2019 04:51:10 am

Don't want to be too heavy here, but :

Continually adjust to new circumstances.

Don't dwell and don't ruminate - the strongest neural pathways in the brain are those you tread again and again. The brain will continually send you down these unless you create new ones and let the pesky ones weaken.

Treat yourself to something nice - no matter how small. Buy some flowers. Take advantage of every bit of beauty you can, you must have some. I think everyone following this blog is actually doing this already.

Have a sane and ordered home ( ! sometimes ! ). Be as optimistic as possible, even in dire times, thus tipping your mood to the positive. Choose Yes over No. Ta-da ! Here endeth the lesson.

Freda

6/7/2019 01:15:49 pm

I am especially interested in the neural pathway advice - I fear I do dwell and ruminate way too much. Grief plays a part as I know you will undersstand Rosemary.

Elizabeth

6/7/2019 09:27:01 pm

These comments about the need to create new neural pathways very interesting. Like others here I stay sane with quiet walks, the sound of waves lapping , a focus on a horizon or a close look at plants, but worry so much for a son who has got weighed down with negative thinking. All his 'if only I ...' sentences to be replaced by thank heavens I

Freda

7/7/2019 12:57:35 pm

Your comment appears incomplete Elizabeth.....perhaps your son will learn from your examples.

Mary B

6/7/2019 11:36:12 am

Assuming our sanity reminded me of the saying that all the world is mad save me and thee...
I try to stay sane and calm in the midst of our crazy world by quiet walks either by the sea or on the hills . I go sit and watch the waves, clouds, birds, for an hour when I know there's an expected stress coming up and I try to rerun that picture in my mind when there is a sudden change to plan B. I avoid noise ,play piano to try and relax and got rid of the television 10 years ago!!
I'm also learning to say ,no,I dont or can't do that.
Makes me sound miserable but by controlling what I can of the world I am less stressed and more able to give of myself to my loved ones.
Swallows and orchids seem like a positive way to go !

Freda

6/7/2019 01:20:56 pm

Swallows and orchids and the beauty around me are life savers at times and I took control of some wilder parts of the garden today which felt really good. That is such an important point about being able to give of yourself only if you are not stressed.

Viv link

6/7/2019 04:20:19 pm

My garden....it helps... my sanity might be questionable to others though!

Freda

7/7/2019 12:59:17 pm

I have never questioned it Viv!

Julia

7/7/2019 04:17:07 am

Rosemary’s excellent advice is anything but heavy...it is wonderful. And i venture to say that rumination is the foundation of all suffering. That and the fact that we humans find change so impossible to accept..unless it happens to be change that we like! How do i stay sane in mad moments? Don’t always manage! But if i happen to remember, i try to focus on the feeling of the air brushing past the edges of my nostrils on an in-breath. That almost always resets my breathing, and thus brings me back to the moment. And even if there is no water, if can be a chance to laugh, i suppose...after all, it can’t be helped!

Freda

7/7/2019 01:04:57 pm

Rumination has several meanings I see. It's also a disorder apparently!
Being in the moment and laughter are both good as far as I am concerned!

Julia

9/7/2019 03:33:41 am

This is so interesting, Freda...to my mind, rumination has only a negative connotation. One more example of how each of us is speaking from our own paradigm and experience...i hope one day you’ll do a post on rumination. I’d love to see the variations in commentary..:-)

Swissrose

9/7/2019 03:12:52 am

Yes to everyone and everything here in the comments... it's been one of those weeks where "normal" doesn't exist and everything seems topsy-turvy and all wrong and nothing works properly. Funny how these phases can sometimes affect a lot of people at the same time. Gradually I'm sure all the kinks will be worked out but it's exhausting and worrying while it's going on :(
So off to the garden and into my own little world (where I never watch any news, and only listen if I happen to be in the car, escapist that I am!)... Hope the next week is a better one!!

Simply..swallows and orchids....

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