Our coping toolbox 🧰

[Shaz51]

Hello @Historylover , @SmilingGecko , @Macey , @Me73 

Getting that right balance can be tricky,  between overdoing things that we forget to do any self care activities 

@Xibon , @PizzaMondo , @tyme , @Blackbird11 , @Former-Member 

[Me73]

I wish… I have recently tried jigsaw puzzles. Um bit obsessive and so that didn’t go well. Not very creative so colouring painting sketching feel inadequate 🤣 I have had dance party in backyard alone. That was a winner. Anything that gets heart rate up is a good thing for me. Walk cross trainer my jam. Reading has come back in my life with this recent bout of anxiety. So yes if I can get out of my own head I’m good @Jynx 

[Former-Member]

Thanks for the tag @Shaz51  😍

I go for a drive every now and again, that's about the maximum of my self care... 

I find it challenging, to be honest, because I was not ever around anyone that considered self care, and so it's very unfamiliar a concept to me. 

I used to love riding my motorbike flat out, long trips, in thunderstorms along winding roads, and found this relaxing, however since I have some functional limitations, I sold my last bike around a couple years ago. 

I always used to do things for others so they could be relaxed and recharged, however I have never really done that for myself (or even thought to do it). Now I live alone, I really just dont think of it 🙂

[Jynx]

@Me73 haha you get locked into puzzle hyperfocus eh? I mean not entirely a bad thing right? Unless it means you start neglecting your other needs (I have forgotten to eat and go to the bathroom because of getting stuck in hyperfocus lol).

I used to struggle to engage with art a lot cos I felt like I could never get the pencil or paint or whatever to look on the page like it did in my head. And I'd see so many creative folks making such incredible pieces of art! So I can definitely relate to those feelings of inadequacy. Until one day I stumbled across this little gem: 

Really resonated with me! Helped me to look at art as being about the process, not about the end product. Even getting messy with some finger painting, or scribbling some simple little designs on a page can be therapeutic. If you google 'zentangles' there's a whole bunch of little sketch patterns that pop up - I will sit there and literally just copy the ones I like or feel I can manage, and have ended up coming up with my own at times too. Very soothing. 

I love dancing!! One of my absolute fav forms of self-care - it's exercise, self-expression, and listening to phat choons all in one! If music is the language of the soul, then maybe dancing is the way we express how the words make us feel. Or something poignant and poetic like that 😂

[Me73]

@Jynx loved that whole post! I’m going to explore “zen tangles” 

puzzle hyperfocus yes! Not alone 🤣

[Jynx]

@Me73 😍😊💜

[Xibon]

@Former-Member I think I understand the long bike ride thing. I used to ride enduro trails. I don't do it and haven't for a while, but I've replaced it with long, explorative walks. I run too, but walking is different because it allows me to slow down and truly appreciate the beautiful and absurd world around.

I also LOVE painting, both on canvases and miniature figurines.

[Former-Member]

Yes @Xibon 🙂

I find motorcycling very sensorily immersive, and totally absorbing physically and mentally, while being emotionally positive ☺️

Long walks sound really lovely; very much an immersive task, just in a different way. 
I used to do big bushwalks, however I don’t have capacity anymore. 
One place I loved was the Minamurra rainforest walk, taking the mountain hike to the waterfall. It’s been some years since I’ve been able to walk without crutches, however it’s a fond memory of the beauty that surrounds you when you visit 🌺🙂

painting sounds lovely too 🙂🌺

I have my grandmothers art in my home - she was an amazing landscape artist with watercolours. I don’t paint anymore (my hands don’t have decent fine-motor control) however I love watching glassblowing artistry as a means to relax 🌺🌺

[Acanthiza]

@Former-Member @Xibon 
I haven't been for a proper ride for a while, my poor motorcycle it looks at me accusingly in the shed 😢

I looked up minamurra, beautiful PinkFlamingo. I love being out in the bush, so calm and no people around. Also glassblowing seems kind of like magic to me! The ability of some people boggles the mind.

I haven't painted a picture for quite a while and I am not exactly the best at it... well I should practice more! lol. Painting miniatures I love though Xibon. Also such a calm activity, and really engrossing once you get into it. I use oil paints and love figuring out how all the colours and consistencies interact.

One more thing... oh yeah running! I used to run on the beach when I lived near the coast, looong jogs, sometimes in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. Nothing like the steady rhythm of your feet blending with the rhythm of the crashing waves. I wrote a poem about it once...

[Former-Member]

Hey there @Acanthiza 🙂

yes, I understand what it’s like having a bike there in the shed looking forlorn due to lack of attention..even when I couldn’t ride, I kept my bike, changing the oil every 6 months and charging the battery on the trickle charger, cleaning, adjusting and lubing the chain, etc, even when I knew I wouldn’t be able to ride it again due to the loss of strength in my legs. When I sold it, the young couple who bought it wanted to go on an adventure (I had the full pannier setup), and said they just fell in love with it as soon as they saw it, which made me very happy to know it would be going to a good home), so it was in perfect condition for a long ride 2-up. It only had 4300kms, after years of ownership, because I started developing difficulty walking not too long after I bought it brand new. 
Minamurra is so beautiful 🌺🙂

very worth the trip if you are near enough to make it ☺️

I think art is not striving for artistry, but an expressive endeavour, so it doesn’t matter what the end result is..what matters is expressing yourself and enjoying the process 🙂

At least, that’s how I felt about it when I used to draw and paint 🌺

Your description of running on the beach sounds very relaxing..I lived in a coastal town and used to go down to the sand and sprint along the shore edge when I couldn’t sleep from the summer heat, then dive into the dark waves to cool off, then sprint again till I was tired. 

It’s wonderful you wrote a poem about running on the beach 🙂🌺