Relax

Today, I coined a new term: STRESSEXPLOSION *caps necessary*

It's when your stress level skyrockets until it explodes your mind and you can't do anything but stare into space, with drool hanging from your lip.

At these times it's best to think about all the things you like to do to relax, even if you can't actually do them at that very moment.

Here's my list:

1.  Snuggle under big fluffy covers.  There's no law against snuggling with yourself!

2. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.  I love smoking hookah (flavored tobacco).  It is fun and relaxing to practice blowing those perfect little "o" smoke rings.

3. Take a bath.  No time for that?  Take a shower.  Trust me, you'll feel better.  There's something about the freshness you feel from being warm, clean, and smooth.  Sometimes it feels like the shower is washing away all the negativity of the day...

4. De-clutter your immediate area.  If you have a cluttered home, you have a cluttered brain.  Maybe you have been too stressed to clean the house, instead just organize the area you'd like to relax in.  That way your mind can focus on... nothing instead of focusing on that pile of unopened mail on the floor.

5.  Watch a Disney movie.  Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, or The Little Mermaid.  Remind yourself of a time when the only thing on your mind were your Legos.

And this is just the short list of what I do to relax.  What do you do?

What Do You Enjoy?

I don't remember when it happened, but at some point in my childhood I made decisions on things that I like and things that I don't like.  It's funny, I don't remember the first time that I found I was different than some of those around me, but I remember feeling empowered.  I found something that made me... me!

Here are some of the things I like best.

Coffee.  When I was a younger, I would take the old coffee my mother would leave in the pot from that morning, warm it up, add tons of sugar, and sip away in my fake plastic teacup.

Old books.  I remember searching through my mother's book collection when I was a little girl, trying to find something, anything, to read.  I ended up with an adoration for both science fiction and the signature smell of old paperbacks.

Writing with chalk.  There is something... almost yummy about chalk.  The way the dust gets on your fingers.  The way that white chalk looks a lot like those sugar sticks that came with Willy Wonka's Fun Dip...  My grandmother had a chalkboard in her kitchen and I could write on it for days and days.

Tea.  I have loved tea for a very long time.  If you can catch a hint from the title of my blog, you know this already!  Recently, my man's mother heard about my love for tea and gave me a pretty little teacup along with her favorite type of tea.  Thanks Wendy!

Kitties.  Cats.  Felines.  You get the picture.  Cats have so much personality, they are so haughty yet so clumsy!  I used to volunteer at the SFSPCA just to be able to play with kitties.  I have a particular bias towards big orange tabby cats :)

And there are so many more!  To be continued....