Friday Five: Stop the Madness
Do you ever feel like life is whirling around you so fast, you can't catch your breath? Or maybe you're so hopeful about something that might happen in the future you can't focus on the present? Today's Friday Five is dedicated to stopping the madness, finding our way back to calm. This is key for everyone, but writers in particular have a way of losing connection with right now, partly because we live in more than one world (the real one plus the world of our characters), and partly because the publishing industry moves at a strange pace, so we're always either looking ahead to what's coming out when or behind to what our process was on a book that may be just coming out but that we wrote some time ago, etc. I've also been noticing lately that in some ways writers are a lot like teenagers, we feel things so intensely life tends to get dramatic. I know for me, I forget to calm the *bleep* down and enjoy what's actually going on right now rather than getting lost in the fantasy. So come along for the ride as I remind myself how to stop the madness!
1. Breathe. You'd think, given that this act is mandatory for life, this one would be easy to remember. It's not. I mean, yes, of course, we breathe all day every day. But actually taking some deep breaths does wonders for calming down frazzled nerves.
2. Find gratitude. We take so much for granted, even more than we realize. Take a couple of moments to not just list the things you're grateful for, but to actually feel grateful for them. It shifts everything.
3. Step into nature. I know, the day is busy, there isn't time, too much else needs to get done. Make time. (Isn't that an interesting expression? Can we really make time? Time is relative. Maybe we can.) Even a brief outing in nature can help wash away the rush of daily life and bring you back to calm.
4. Be a tree. Set down roots. Sounds crazy, but it works. Just sit somewhere quiet and imagine roots growing down from your spine and out the bottoms of your feet into the ground. See them traveling down into the earth. And then find yourself feeling strong and centered and still, like a redwood or a sequoia or an oak.
5. Love. Yep, love really is the answer to everything. Focus on the people/pets you adore. Get out of your own head. And feel the love. It is the miracle cure-all.
Wishing you a calm, loving, and joyful weekend!
Posted by Cheryl at 4/8/2011 9:05 AM 
Categories: friday five; life; writing; dreaming
Tags: friday five life writing dreaming
Categories: friday five; life; writing; dreaming
Tags: friday five life writing dreaming
Good advice! Love you babe!!!
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Thanks! Now if I could only remember to follow my own advice
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