Acclimatise to EVERY Environment

Ever gone shopping, lunch / coffee with friends, to the movies, work, ANY outside activity can lead you to sit and worry and fret over nothing in particular. It is just the “thought” of engaging in any activity can send us into emotional-shock!!!

It could be anything to get your nerves on edge from the lighting, the noise of all of the hustle & bustle in the shops, sitting in a quiet room watching a movie, concentrating on your job. Whatever it is that pushes your buttons, I advise you do the following:

Get wherever you are wanting to go earlier than scheduled, what you are wanting to do is ACCLIMATISE to your environment. Because it only takes 10-15 minutes to go from fear to calm.

Going to the shops? Go there earlier, take some time, sit in your car or walk to the toilets, practice your BREATHING (In The Beginning (May ‘08) and Out & About (June ‘08)) if you feel yourself getting light-headed. Practice the TAPPING as previously discussed (Tap Away Your Troubles (June ’08)), or simply sit (yes, in the toilets) and get back your balance! Also, the diversion-tactic as discussed this month under “Out & About (June ’08)”.

If you have an iPod, take it with you wherever you go, keep the music, or audio-book (my personal favourite) on it that makes you feel good and listen to that! – Depressed / Nervous??? Mix It Up… (June ’08).

You could also head straight for a coffee shop, grab a water (Nutrition Matters (June ’08)), perhaps tea, whatever works for you and sit and drink and relax. You could even take a favourite magazine to flick through to keep your mind occupied!

OR – You could very well just dread the thought of doing any of this, if this is the case and WHEN you get the urge to want to go and do something (shopping, lunch, etc), go and do it, BUT, when you do this, I would like for you to KNOW that you have the option at ANY TIME to leave! When you do, DON’T criticise yourself for having done so, you are wanting to CONGRATULATE yourself for having tried it at all!!! Bleed those good feelings of what it felt like to take that first step, you are TRULY AMAZING, you will know within yourself that when the time is right to take that next step, you will and you will again come through it with flying colours!!! (I am speaking from experience)! If you are still having troubles, read about my section on Journaling – A Must Read (June ’08), and you will get there! Don’t keep checking the time-frame, your best time-frame is your emotions!!!

It takes EVERYONE a certain amount of time to acclimatise to their environment, so, PLEASE, be easy upon yourself and KNOW that you are not alone in this (ALL OF THIS), there are plenty in the same boat as you!

LOVE TO YOU

*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*

Depressed / Can’t Sleep

Whilst there are many things I have mentioned you can do on a personal level thought-wise to rid yourself of the blues / panic or insomnia, I also suggest the following:

First of all, if you’re laying in bed and you can’t sleep after 20 minutes or so, I suggest you get up for an hour and then try returning to your bed. Should you stay in bed and think and think and think, you are beginning the association with the bedroom as yet another thinking place to air all of your troubles! When you start to associate this room as ONLY a place for relaxing will you find it easier to sleep.

CLEAN IT UP...

If it is cluttered, it will only cause you to be less inclined to go to bed or relax. Get rid of those stuffed toys, sporting equipment, old clothes / shoes lying around on the floor. Keep it tidy!

BEDROOM COLOURS...

NEVER have your wall colour or decorations in dark colours (dark blue, black, grey, etc) or too bright of colours (bright red, yellow, orange, etc) in your bedroom. This will NOT help in your relaxing for stress or depression. These colours stimulate you to a point of over-exaggerating your problems be it from stress or depression! You are wanting soothing colours in your room such as cream, light blue, pinks, purples, something bright without the dramatic colours! You get the idea.

YOUR OASIS...

Put your stamp of approval on it, make it yours. It doesn’t matter what another thinks (unless of course your significant other happens to naturally get involved), make it your place for relaxation.

I have found that painting a room is one of the cheapest ways to improve the look!

BOOKS...

If you have a favourite self-help book, I do suggest you keep it on your night-stand for times when you are finding it difficult to sleep. Reading for me is one of the FASTEST ways to become sleepy and divert my attention! Purchase a good book-light, I suggest personally you google Think Geek (in the US) and search in their site for “book light”, it is amazing, it does not disturb your partner with light in the room, not like any other book light I have used, for me, it is ideal!!! I will put a link up here later for those of you wishing to find out more about them!

ONE MORE THING...

Should ANY of you have questions that have not been answered, PLEASE contact me and I will do my best to help you! If it is appropriate for this site, I will post, however I will NOT give names or personal details in this site!

LOVE
*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*

TAKE A BREAK

For many of you, taking time away from the security of home is daunting (for both panic / anxiety sufferers and those with depression), so, stay at the journaling as explained earlier under "Journaling - A Must Read".

However, if you are toying with the idea you could do it, then, here are some ideas....

• Go on a SHORT holiday with a loved-one or significant other - One Night - or - Two Nights LOCALLY...

You see, you don't have to go on some huge holiday interstate or overseas, it can be in your own state, city or suburb. Just getting away for those few days can really clear out some mental clutter and get you re-aligned and recharge those batteries! It doesn't have to be expensive either, depending upon your budget!

• Go Camping - OR - Stay in a Caravan Park...

Again, it doesn't have to be expensive. When you get the urge to want to go away DO IT, you have come this far, what basis do you really have to rely upon you won't be able to make the trip and come back happier and healthier for the experience? You're reading this, so, there must be some truth to it ;)

• Visit and stay with a friend for a few days...

This can be more comfortable for some to begin with!

• If you're feeling a little more adventurous, take that trip interstate...

It doesn't have to be long, just some time away, out of your comfort zone (not too far out of your comfort zone, you are wanting to re-define / broaden your boundaries not conquer the world in a week, this attitude can more than likely hinder your progress).

• A WHOLE DAY OUT is also a great idea...

You don't have to spend the night anywhere if this is not your thing, just make a personal Itinerary for yourself and go have fun, you could start by having breakfast at a local hotel, take a walk along the beach, stroll through some shops, get some lunch and have it in a local park, or, have lunch in a nice little coffe shop, then, perhaps dinner in your favourite restaurant.

It's as big or as small as you want AND allow it to be! EVERYTHING IS.

Your life is calling you, what are you going to do with it today???

LOVE

*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*

DEPRESSED / NERVOUS??? MIX IT UP...

One way to beat those blues or nervous tension is to find MUSIC that resonates with YOU!

If you are nervous / or / anxious, get some music that you find relaxing. I found sounds of nature to be a good investment for me, also I have a machine that plays different sounds - rain, birds, waterfall, etc. Quite an amazing little tool.

For those of you with depression, find that music that lifts your spirits, it could be anything from a song you know and love from years ago that bring forth happy memories to anything current. Don't stick to one particular genre because, you will find that some days when one particular song works, other days it will not! Mix it up!

TIP: Get a whole stack of music you love and stick it on your iPod, or, make a CD or Tape that you can play wherever, whenever. I like setting my iPod up for certain music to play when I wake in the morning, it beats the old alarm clock!

ANOTHER GREAT TIP is, instead of relying on your car radio to keep you on a happy-note, play CD's & Tapes whilst driving instead. Keep a good collection from relaxation (not too relaxing:) ) to up-beat material.

DEPRESSED?

... Move your furniture around, this changes the thought-pattern and helps mix things up! Incredibly effective, A CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A HOLIDAY...!

... Get ORGANISED - Clear-out old cupboards (bedroom, kitchen, anywhere). Tidy things up in general. To begin with, you may feel so overwhelmed that the thought of doing so seems too drastic! What you do is this... Every day, get a big garbage bag (or small, depending on where you are with this emotionally and clutter-wise) and make an effort to fill it with things as you go about your day, then, throw it out! You will be surprised how quickly things become more organised AND you will start feeling better within yourself!!! It is much more difficult to sit in a home that is neat & tidy and get a bout of depression ;)

MORE GREAT IDEAS TO COME

LOVE

*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*